Statistics
I have written about some aspects of this before but on the basis of if it’s worth saying once, it’s worth saying twice, I have gathered some stroke comments.
- A rehab physician: “As a rough rule of thumb, one third make full recovery, one third have moderate impairment, and one third have severe impairment.”
Comment
O.K. as far as it goes, which is not far because no date getting technique is given.
- The aim is to get a stroke suspect from home to hospital an hour sooner than by standard ambulance. A group has combined to fit a transporter with a C.T. scanner in an attempt to achieve the hour early. I did a desk study but could find no compelling reason to change, too many variables. A team member in a news report said “if you offer treatment an hour earlier, it almost doubles the likelihood of a good outcome”.
Comment
None Needed.
- Clot dissolving is a standard procedure. Researchers have added a stent to pull out any remaining clot material which gives a better result, expressed as “patients returning to independent living”.
Comment
The work has been published in a medical journal. I am reading the report from a news report and it seems too short for a journal publication.
However there is enough data in the text to do a peer review.
“A randomised clinical research study”
It could be extended “of XYZ number of patients” (not mentioned in the text) “who had the most severe forms of stroke” (which is in the text).
The blood supply using the two techniques was much higher than the standard one injection technique. From this position a conclusion is drawn that the two step system results in almost double the number of patients “returning to independent living” than is the case with the one step system.
Conclusion
This is a preliminary study and not fit for publication in its present form.
Now, the authors know what they mean by ‘independent living’, what steps were taken to get there, and how long they took. And this data should be in the published article. The rest of the stroke industry would be interested to see it.
So what is the conclusion?
If you make significant claims of improved stroke results, make sure that any general reports contain all vital information.
Am I being too critical?
I think not, but that’s what I do.
Angus
Statistics Part Two
Complete recovery and independent living. These terms are close enough in meaning to see to whom of our S.A.P.s they apply. –
Try this: – A stroke slightly stronger than a T.I.A., plus upper limbs treatment within the first three days after stroke.
Angus