Measured enthusiasm: does the method of reporting trial results alter perceptions of therapeutic effectiveness?

Article Abstract:

Methods of reporting statistical outcomes can influence clinicians' perceptions of drug effectiveness. Statistically, research findings can be summarized in a variety of ways. For example, absolute incidence rates in two groups in a study could be 40% and 30% or 4% and 3% and the study could still report a 25% relative risk reduction in either case. A survey of 100 clinicians compared their ratings of drug effectiveness when the same data was presented two different ways. As expected, drugs were rated more effective when data was summarized using relative reductions in risk as opposed to absolute reductions. More surprisingly, comparing therapeutic efforts to clinical yields - such as reporting the number of people that need to be treated to prevent one event - led to lower effectiveness ratings than reports of either absolute or relative risk reduction.

Analysis, Medical personnel, Beliefs, opinions and attitudes, Medical statistics

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Self-perceived health status of women three to five years after the diagnosis of gestational diabetes: a survey of cases and matched controls

Article Abstract:

Women who developed gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy may perceive themselves as less healthy than women who did not develop the condition. Gestational diabetes is a metabolic intolerance to carbohydrates that develops in pregnancy and increases the risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes later in life. Researchers surveyed the health attitudes of 106 women with a history of gestational diabetes and 317 women with previous healthy pregnancies. Women who had had gestational diabetes worried more about their health and considered their children to be less healthy.

Psychological aspects, Surveys, Diabetes in pregnancy, Gestational diabetes, Health attitudes

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Coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Ontario and New York State: which rate is right?

Article Abstract:

The differences seen in the rates of heart bypass surgery between New York and Ontario appear to reflect differences in patient characteristics and disease severity. Researchers analyzed the medical records of 5,517 patients in Ontario and 16,690 patients in New York who received heart bypass surgery. There were more patients with recent heart attacks, less complicated disease and those who were older or female among the patient population from New York. Overall heart bypass surgery rates were 1.79 times higher in New York than in Ontario.

Demographic aspects, Surgery, Coronary artery bypass

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