Main description:

This concise book will help you to interpret the statistical evidence provided by quantitative studies and to plan how to work with data in your own clinical research. Following the successful format of the Toolkit series, Statistics Toolkit guides the reader through statistical concepts using flowcharts, diagrams and real life examples to reflect concepts in a simple and practical manner. Sections include: * Clear explanation of basic concepts in the context of clinical research * Demonstration of how data are described, displayed and interpreted in different formats * Practical glossary and key to the symbols used in statistics and a discussion of the software tools The book offers a handy, quick reference that has an easy-to-follow structure throughout, making it ideal for health care professionals and students.

Contents:

Introduction. Data: describing and displaying. Probability and confi dence intervals. Hypothesis testing. Choosing which measure and test to use. Randomised controlled trials. Systematic reviews 1. Case-control studies. Questionnaire studies 1. Questionnaire studies 2. Cohort studies. Systematic reviews 2. Diagnostic tests. Scale validation. Statistical toolkit: glossary. Software for data management and statistical analysis. References. Index. Commonly used symbols.