Casting New Light on Statistical Power: An Illuminating Analogy and Strategies to Avoid Underpowered Trials.
Am J Epidemiol
; 191(8): 1500-1507, 2022 07 23.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35292796
ABSTRACT
Current standards for methodological rigor and trial reporting underscore the critical issue of statistical power. Still, the chance of detecting most effects reported in randomized controlled trials in medicine and other disciplines is currently lower than winning a toss of a fair coin. Here we propose that investigators who retain a practical understanding of how statistical power works can proactively avoid the potentially devastating consequences of underpowered trials. We first offer a vivid, carefully constructed analogy that illuminates the underlying relationships among 3 of the 5 essential parameters-namely, statistical power, effect size, and sample size-while holding the remaining 2 parameters constant (type of statistical test and significance level). Second, we extend the analogy to a set of critical scenarios in which investigators commonly miss detecting intervention effects due to insufficient statistical power. Third, we highlight effective pragmatic strategies for the design and conduct of sufficiently powered trials, without increasing sample size.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Proyectos de Investigación
Tipo de estudio:
Clinical_trials
/
Guideline
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Am J Epidemiol
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article