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Practical examples: trials and conclusions — an interactive segment
Author(s) -
Talley N. J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2004.02137.x
Subject(s) - medicine , equivalence (formal languages) , psychological intervention , interpretation (philosophy) , clinical trial , intensive care medicine , disease , computer science , pathology , mathematics , discrete mathematics , psychiatry , programming language
Summary There is a requirement for a critical review of the literature published in the field of reflux disease management, particularly when the literature is used as a basis for the adoption of specific interventions into everyday practice. Numerous published studies are valid and robust, but many are not. Particularly common is the over‐interpretation of positive studies based on small patient numbers, which may be subject to publication bias. Claims of equivalence are invalid without a pre‐specified level of equivalence and adequate power to measure this. More generally, a lack of pre‐defined primary end‐points, clinically relevant and measured appropriately, is a common feature of reflux trial methodology.