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1Formulas and methods
Evidence-based practice statistics
Sensitivity and specificity
Se = a/(a + c), Sp = d/(b + d)
Predictive values
PPV = a/(a + b), NPV = d/(c + d)
Accuracy
(a + d)/n
Likelihood ratios
LR+ = Se/(1 − Sp), LR− = (1 − Se)/Sp
PPV at prevalence p
Se·p / (Se·p + (1 − Sp)(1 − p))
Odds
odds = p/(1 − p); p = odds/(1 + odds); post-test odds = pre-test odds × LR
Risk measures
RR = EER/CER, ARR = CER − EER, RRR = ARR/CER
Number needed to treat
NNT = 1/ARR, rounded up; NNH = 1/(EER − CER)
Odds ratio
OR = ad/(bc)
Incidence rate
new cases / person-time
Method
Draw the 2 × 2 table and label a, b, c and d before you calculate.
Read sensitivity and specificity down the columns, predictive values along the rows.
For another prevalence, imagine 10 000 people and fill the table with Se, Sp and the prevalence.
For a likelihood ratio, convert the probability to odds, multiply, and convert back.
For a trial, find EER and CER first; then RR = EER/CER, ARR = CER − EER and NNT = 1/ARR rounded up.
Descriptive statistics
Mean
x̄ = Σx/n
Sample standard deviation
s = √(Σ(x − x̄)²/(n − 1))
Median
middle value of the sorted data
z-score
z = (x − μ)/σ
Normal distribution
68% within ±1σ, 95% within ±2σ
Confidence intervals
σ known
x̄ ± z·σ/√n
σ unknown
x̄ ± t·s/√n, df = n − 1
Critical z
90%: 1.645, 95%: 1.96, 99%: 2.576
Sample size
n = (z·σ/E)², rounded up
Method
Decide between z (population σ known) and t (only the sample s, with n − 1 degrees of freedom).
Find the critical value for the confidence level.
Margin of error: E = critical value × standard deviation/√n.
Interval: x̄ ± E.
Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
z-test for a mean
z = (x̄ − μ0)/(σ/√n)
t-test for a mean
t = (x̄ − μ0)/(s/√n), df = n − 1
Two-sided at 5%
reject H0 if |z| > 1.96
Confidence interval
x̄ ± z·σ/√n
Method
State H₀ and H₁ and decide whether the test is one- or two-sided.
Calculate the test statistic: (x̄ − μ₀)/(σ/√n), or with s and t.
Compare with the critical value, or find the p-value.
Reject H₀ if the statistic is beyond the critical value (p below α), and state the conclusion in words.
2Practice problems
1.Evidence-based practice statisticsMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). In a cohort study, exposed people contributed 3700 person-years with 355 new cases, and unexposed people 7900 person-years with 190 new cases. Find the incidence rate ratio IRR (exposed versus unexposed). Round to two decimal places.
exposed: 355/3700 PYnot exposed: 190/7900 PY
IRR =
2.Evidence-based practice statisticsHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A screening test has a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 92%. It is used in a population where the prevalence is 20%. Find the negative predictive value NPV as a percentage. Round to one decimal place.
Se = 90%Sp = 92%p = 20%
NPV = %
3.Descriptive statisticsMedium
Find the sample standard deviation s of the data: 23, 50, 46, 36, 52, 41, 43.
n = 7
s =
4.Descriptive statisticsHard
Exam scores are normally distributed with mean 500 and standard deviation 25. Find the z-score z of a score of 475.
μ = 500σ = 25x = 475
z =
5.Confidence intervalsMedium
A sample of 16 items has mean 97.5 and standard deviation s = 8. The population is roughly normal. Find the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval for the mean.
n = 16x̄ = 97.5s = 895%t(15) = 2.131
upper limit =
6.Confidence intervalsHard
The diameters of 16 machined shafts have a sample standard deviation of 0.5 µm. Assuming the diameters are normally distributed, find the lower limit σ of the 95% confidence interval for the population standard deviation. With df = 15, 2.5% of the χ² distribution lies below 6.262 and 2.5% lies above 27.488.
n = 16s = 0.5 µmχ² = 6.262, 27.488
σ = µm
7.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsMedium
16 employees take a typing test before and after a training course. For each person the difference d = after − before (words per minute) is recorded. The mean difference is 4.24 and the standard deviation of the differences is 7.7. Find the paired test statistic t for H₀: μd = 0.
n = 16d̄ = 4.24sd = 7.7
t =
8.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervalsHard
How large must a sample be so that the 95% confidence interval for a mean has a margin of error of at most 1? The standard deviation is 15. Find the smallest sample size n.
σ = 15E = 195%
n =
3Solutions
1.Evidence-based practice statistics
Answer: IRR = 3.99
Likelihood ratios and risk measures: LR+ = sensitivity/(1 − specificity), LR− = (1 − sensitivity)/specificity. In a trial, EER and CER are the event rates with and without treatment: RR = EER/CER, ARR = CER − EER, RRR = ARR/CER and NNT = 1/ARR, rounded up. In a case-control study only the odds ratio OR = ad/(bc) can be used. An incidence rate = new cases/person-time.
Incidence rates
exposed: 355/3700 = 95.95 per 1000 person-years
not exposed: 190/7900 = 24.05 per 1000 person-years
Rate ratio
IRR = 95.95/24.05 = 3.989 ≈ 3.99
Answer
IRR = 3.99
2.Evidence-based practice statistics
Answer: NPV = 97.4 %
Predictive values depend on prevalence: PPV = Se·p/(Se·p + (1 − Sp)(1 − p)) and NPV = Sp(1 − p)/(Sp(1 − p) + (1 − Se)p). With likelihood ratios: pre-test odds = p/(1 − p), post-test odds = pre-test odds × LR, probability = odds/(1 + odds). For a population of N, true positives = N·p·Se and false positives = N·(1 − p)·(1 − Sp). NNT = 1/(CER × RRR), rounded up.
True and false negatives (per person)
Sp·(1 − p) = 0.92·0.8 = 0.736
(1 − Se)·p = 0.1·0.2 = 0.02
Negative predictive value
NPV = 0.736/(0.736 + 0.02) = 0.9735 ≈ 97.4%
Answer
NPV = 97.4%
3.Descriptive statistics
Answer: s = 9.813
Descriptive statistics: the mean is the sum divided by n; the median is the middle value of the sorted data (the average of the two middle values when n is even). The sample standard deviation is s = √(Σ(x − x̄)²/(n − 1)). A z-score z = (x − μ)/σ says how many standard deviations a value lies from the mean.
Descriptive statistics: the mean is the sum divided by n; the median is the middle value of the sorted data (the average of the two middle values when n is even). The sample standard deviation is s = √(Σ(x − x̄)²/(n − 1)). A z-score z = (x − μ)/σ says how many standard deviations a value lies from the mean.
Standardise
z = (475 − 500)/25 = −1
Answer
z = −1
5.Confidence intervals
Answer: upper limit = 101.8
Confidence interval for a mean: x̄ ± margin of error. With a known population σ the margin is z·σ/√n; with only the sample standard deviation s, use t with n − 1 degrees of freedom: t·s/√n. Critical values: z = 1.645 (90%), 1.96 (95%), 2.576 (99%). To get a margin E or smaller, you need n ≥ (z·σ/E)², rounded up.
Critical value
df = n − 1 = 15, t = 2.131
Margin of error
E = 2.131·8/√16 = 4.262
Interval
97.5 ± 4.262 → [93.24, 101.8]
Answer
upper limit = 101.8
6.Confidence intervals
Answer: σ = 0.3694 µm
Interval for a variance: (n − 1)s²/σ² has a χ² distribution with n − 1 degrees of freedom. The 95% interval for σ² runs from (n − 1)s² divided by the upper χ² value (2.5% above it) to (n − 1)s² divided by the lower χ² value (2.5% below it); the interval for σ is the square root of both limits. It is not symmetric around s.
Sum of squares
(n − 1)s² = 15·0.5² = 3.75
Limits for σ²
3.75/27.488 = 0.1364
3.75/6.262 = 0.5989
Limit for σ
σ = √0.1364 = 0.3694 µm
Answer
σ = 0.3694 µm
95% interval for σ: [0.3694, 0.7739] µm.
7.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: t = 2.203
Testing a mean: the test statistic measures how many standard errors the sample mean lies from the value claimed in H₀: z = (x̄ − μ₀)/(σ/√n) when σ is known, t = (x̄ − μ₀)/(s/√n) when it is estimated from the sample. A confidence interval is x̄ ± (critical value)·(standard error).
Standard error of the mean difference
SE = 7.7/√16 = 1.925
Test statistic
t = 4.24/1.925 = 2.203
Answer
t = 2.203
With df = 15, the two-sided 5% critical value is 2.131; |t| is larger, so H₀ is rejected.
8.Hypothesis tests & confidence intervals
Answer: n = 865
Testing a mean: the test statistic measures how many standard errors the sample mean lies from the value claimed in H₀: z = (x̄ − μ₀)/(σ/√n) when σ is known, t = (x̄ − μ₀)/(s/√n) when it is estimated from the sample. A confidence interval is x̄ ± (critical value)·(standard error).