British medical journal (Clinical research ed.)
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Br Med J (Clin Res Ed)
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Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) · Mar 1986
Clinical TrialConfidence intervals rather than P values: estimation rather than hypothesis testing.
Overemphasis on hypothesis testing--and the use of P values to dichotomise significant or non-significant results--has detracted from more useful approaches to interpreting study results, such as estimation and confidence intervals. In medical studies investigators are usually interested in determining the size of difference of a measured outcome between groups, rather than a simple indication of whether or not it is statistically significant. ⋯ The paper also gives suggestions for graphical display. Confidence intervals, if appropriate to the type of study, should be used for major findings in both the main text of a paper and its abstract.