bastian denver ahcj_stats_ftw_2014-03-27
TRANSCRIPT
Hilda Bastian @hildabastAssociation of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) Health Journalism 2014, Denver 27 March
Statistically Funny blogspot
Tips for better stories:#StatsFTW!
Absolutely Maybeat Scientific American
Remember data don’t speakfor themselves
Think through the context of what happened, the methods of collection and method of analysis before analyzing the data
With extra academic spin
A good study means….what?
• If it’s the wrong study type, statistics can’t save it• Statistics & methods evolve• Think of studies, study reports & outcomes separately…
Look at each outcome separately
The strength & quality of data vary within a study. And always look for all outcomes not just the ones researchers point you to... especially
Why so manyconflictingstudies….?
Don’t look at one studyin isolation
Chocolate…
Avoidover-precision
Always think about confidence intervals/margins of error, matching use of numbers & language to data certainty (47.23% or just less than half?)
Don’t mistake absence ofevidence for evidence of absence
Lights…
Miller et al, 2014
Independent UK Panel on Breast Cancer Screening, 2012
Miller et al, 2014
Independent UK Panel on Breast Cancer Screening, 2012
Be as critical of the data you want to believe as you are about what you disagree with
The biggest bias we have to deal with is our own.