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Letter|Articles in Press

Keep “statistically” significant to differentiate it from “clinically” relevant

Published:December 16, 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2022.11.022
Keep “statistically” significant to differentiate it from “clinically” relevant
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      I read with great interest the Editor’s Note by Abe Fingerhut et al seeking to improve our medical writing and communication.
      • Fingerhut A.
      • Wexner S.
      • Behrns K.
      • et al.
      Why say “statistically significant” rather than just “significant”? A plea to rid the medical literature of linguistic ambiguity.
      Surgery. 2022; 172: 1039-1040
      I concur with their argument, but I would add a practical justification for maintaining “statistically” to qualify “significant.”
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      References

        • Fingerhut A.
        • Wexner S.
        • Behrns K.
        • et al.
        Why say “statistically significant” rather than just “significant”? A plea to rid the medical literature of linguistic ambiguity.
        Surgery. 2022; 172: 1039-1040
        View in Article
        • Draak T.H.P.
        • de Greef B.T.A.
        • Faber C.G.
        • Merkies I.S.J.
        • PeriNomS study group
        The minimum clinically important difference: which direction to take.
        Eur J Neurol. 2019; 26: 850-855
        View in Article
        • Amrhein V.
        • Greenland S.
        • McShane B.
        Scientists rise up against statistical significance.
        Nature. 2019; 567: 305-307
        View in Article

      Article info

      Publication history

      Published online: December 16, 2022
      Accepted: November 21, 2022

      Publication stage

      In Press Corrected Proof

      Identification

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2022.11.022

      Copyright

      © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

      ScienceDirect

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