The class "How to Read a Medical Journal Article" is obsolete. I no longer offer this class. In its place, I am offering:
- Class #32: Statistical Evidence. Apples to Oranges. Choice of the control group in research studies;
- Class #33: Statistical Evidence. Who Was Left Out? Exclusions and dropouts in research studies;
- Class #34: Statistical Evidence. Mountain or Molehill? Clinical significance in research studies
These three (3) classes expand upon the material and provide more opportunities for practice exercises with real journal articles.
I am keeping this web page up for historical and reference purposes.
This three hour training class will give you a general introduction in how to read medical journal articles. The medical journals are filled with research on new medical therapies. What should you look for in this research? How do you gauge the strength of evidence? When should you change your medical practices? The answers lie not in how the research data was analyzed but in how it was collected. Simple factors like how the research subjects were recruited determine the strength of evidence in a research paper. When you are reading a journal article, just ask yourself five simple questions: Who did the choosing?; Was there a plan?; Who knew what when?; Who was left out?; and How much did things change?
In this presentation, you will learn how to:
- assess the strength of evidence in a journal article;
- identify potential problems with observational studies;
- explain why "blinding" is important;
- describe the problems caused by drop-outs.
This class does not qualify for IRB Education Credits (IRBECs).
Please bring a copy of a research paper with you to class. The paper should compare two or more groups of patients and it should have some direct numerical measurements in it. If you have difficulty finding a good example, I will provide some interesting journal articles for you to use.
Some interesting examples:
A Close Look at Therapeutic Touch. L. Rosa, E. Rosa, L. Sarner, S. Barrett. Jama 1998: 279(13); 1005-10. [PDF]
Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccination and Bowel Problems or Developmental Regression in Children with Autism: Population Study. B. Taylor, E. Miller, R. Lingam, N. Andrews, A. Simmons, J. Stowe. Bmj 2002: 324(7334); 393-6. [PDF]
Obstetric Care and Proneness of Offspring to Suicide as Adults: Case-Control Study. Bertil Jacobson, Marc Bygdeman. British Medical Journal 1998: 317(7169); 1346-1349. [PDF]
Midline Episiotomy and Anal Incontinence: Retrospective Cohort Study. Lisa B Signorello, Bernard L Harlow, Amy K Chekos, John T Repke. British Medical Journal 2000: 320(7227); 86-90. [PDF]
Postmarketing Surveillance Study of a Non-Chlorofluorocarbon Inhaler According to the Safety Assessment of Marketed Medicines Guidelines. J. G. Ayres, C. D. Frost, W. F. Holmes, D. R. Williams, S. M. Ward. British Medical Journal 1998: 317(7163); 926-30. [PDF]
A Comparison of Active and Simulated Chiropractic Manipulation as Adjunctive Treatment for Childhood Asthma. J. Balon, P. D. Aker, E. R. Crowther, C. Danielson, P. G. Cox, D. O'Shaughnessy, C. Walker, C. H. Goldsmith, E. Duku, M. R. Sears. New England Journal of Medicine 1998: 339(15); 1013-20. [PDF]
Contents
- Overview of the STATS web pages
- Consulting services that I provide
- What's wrong with medical research
- How to read a medical journal. Introduction.
- Who did the choosing?
- Was there a plan?
- Who knew what when?
- Who was left out?
- How much did things change?
- Please fill out an evaluation form
Stats >> Overview of the STATS web pages
What are the STATS web pages?
The STATS pages are a collection of handouts that I use in my job as a statistical consultant. The web provides a nice home for these handouts, because as I update my material, the newest version is immediately available to anyone who is interested.
Where can I find STATS?
If you have a web browser, like Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you can surf on over to my site,
which is also found at http://internet1/stats, if you are attached to the Children's Mercy Hospital network. There are two obsolete sites: http://www.cmh.edu/stats and http://simon/stats. Do not use either of these sites.
Some of the fun stuff you can find on the STATS web pages.
Ask Professor Mean. For the tough Statistics questions that Dear Abby won't touch.
Planning Your Research Study. Things you need to plan for before you start collecting your data.
Selecting An Appropriate Sample Size. How much data do you really need?
Managing Your Research Data. Everything you want to know before you step to the keyboard.
Steps In a Typical Data Analysis. I have my data on the computer. Now what?
How to Read a Medical Journal Article. Reading a journal is hard work. Here's some help.
Professor Mean's Library. Good books and good web sites about Statistics.
... and even more good stuff!!!
Stats >> Overview of the STATS web pages
This page was written by Steve Simon and edited by Linda Foland. It was last modified on 12/04/2003. Send feedback to ssimon@cmh.edu.
Stats >> Details >> Steve Simon's Consulting Services
You can get free statistical consulting if you work for Children's Mercy Hospital. I provide a wide range of statistical consulting services to help you with your research projects. This help can start as early as the initial planning of your research. I also help with the analysis of your data, using SPSS or other statistical software. I can also provide assistance with the preparation of your presentations and publications.
Some examples of the services that I have provided include:
- setting up your research hypothesis,
- selecting and justifying your sample size,
- writing the statistical methods section for your grant,
- preparing randomization tables for your study,
- reviewing your surveys for content and quality,
- developing a system for entering your data,
- choosing an appropriate statistical model for your data,
- establishing validity and/or reliability for your measurement scales,
- checking for violations of statistical assumptions in your data,
- producing graphs and tables for your research publication, and
- providing references for new and unusual statistical methods.
Much of the advice provided by me has been outlined on a series of web pages which can be found at http://www.childrens-mercy.org/stats/. The pages provide advice about planning your research, selecting an appropriate sample size, managing your research data, and performing a variety of data analyses.
I am also an expert in Evidence Based Medicine and have participated in journal clubs for a variety of departments. I have written a web page on How to Read a Medical Journal Article that is highly praised and widely disseminated. I have also served as a referee for several medical journals and have informally advised other referees about statistical issues for the articles that they have asked to referee.
I also provide a series of informal training classes on statistics. The classes are short (no more than three hour
