Review : Statistical methods in clinical research: A review for pharmacists

Abstract

Objective. Pharmacists have been recognized as both clinicians and researchers. As clinicians, they have to be able to critically review the results of clinical trials and to determine whether the fmdings of these studies were justified based on the methodology. As investigators, pharmacists must select the appropriate research design to answer the main study hypothesis. This paper will review basic statistical concepts that the oncology pharmacist can use to evaluate clinical trials and to design research studies. Data Sources. A variety of articles accessed from a MEDLINE search and statistical reference texts were used. Data Extraction. The information was re viewed, and statistical concepts relevant to oncology pharmacy practice were included. Data Synthesis. The concepts of descriptive and inferential statistics are presented. Detailed nu merical examples of how differences between two independent groups can be evaluated for statistical significance are provided. Similarities and differences between hypothesis testing and estimation are also highlighted.