Decision making under uncertainty

Correct
Decision
The Facts
Our Decision
No difference
No difference New drug is better
New drug is better
Type I error
Type II error
Correct
Decision
Chi Sq (c )
2
Gaussian Test
Gaussian Test
Chi squared (c2) test
McNemars test
Kappa Test
t test
Paired t test
Chi squared test for trend
Variance ratio test (F test)
MannWhitney U test
From what population are the data drawn? Are the results
generalisable? Was much of the data missing? Did many people
refuse to cooperate?
Is the analysis confirmatory or exploratory? Is it research or
audit?
Have the correct statistical models been used?
Do not be satisfied with statements such as a significant effect was
found. Ask what is the size of the effect and will it make a
difference to patients (often described as a clinically significant
effect)?
Are the results critically dependent on the assumptions about
the models? Often the results are quite robust to the actual
model, but this needs to be considered.