Analysis of Statistics Utilized in Primary Articles in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine: A Prelude to Practical Pedagogy in Biostatistics.

Abstract

BackgroundBiostatistics is an increasing focus in current medical school curricula. This study evaluated the statistical methods utilized in a high-impact factor medical Journal to develop a guide to those statistics that can be applied to facilitate the interpretation of data for practicing physicians, fellows, residents, and medical students.MethodsIn Part 1 of our tandem manuscripts, the 100 most recent primary articles from February 2021 to December 2021 were analyzed from the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine. The evaluation consisted of study temporality, study design, types of descriptor variables, and types of statistical tests.ResultsRetrospective studies were most common (75/100, 75%), followed by prospective studies (23/100, 23%). The most popular designs were cohort (82/100, 82%), followed by case series (9/100, 9%), randomized control trials (4/100, 4%), and case-control (3/100, 3%). The most commonly utilized descriptor variables were frequency and proportion (100/100, 100%), followed by median (74/100, 74%) and mean (71/100, 71%). The chi-square test was the most frequently used statistical test (59/100, 59%), while logistic regression (48/100, 48%), Mann-Whitney-U (46/100, 46%), and two-sample independent t-test (40/100, 40%) also were popular.ConclusionThis review revealed that retrospective and cohort studies were utilized most frequently. The chi-square test was used in the majority of studies, while logistic regression was also popular. This information can help determine areas in which supplemental training will be most beneficial to improve the understanding of statistical methods in medical journals by practicing physicians, fellows, residents, and medical students. As an outgrowth of this study, we have developed a practical guide to relevant statistical methods, serving as Part 2 of these tandem manuscripts.