In reply: In our medical education article,1 we aimed to provide practical recommendations for more informative interpretation of findings from randomised controlled trials based on considering the range of effects supported by the data. We sought to discourage the types of misinterpretations that are far too common, as illustrated by the two examples we provided. We recommended that, even when the upper or lower limit of the confidence interval (CI) overlaps with the null, researchers avoid conclusions of “non‐statistically significant” in favour of more directive conclusions that consider the width of the CI and whether it overlaps with clinically important differences, suggesting that values towards the limits of the CIs have less support from the data.
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- 1. Hemming K, Taljaard M. Why proper understanding of confidence intervals and statistical significance is important. Med J Aust 2021; 214: 116–118. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/214/3/why‐proper‐understanding‐confidence‐intervals‐and‐statistical‐significance
- 2. Dalton CG. Why proper understanding of confidence intervals and statistical significance is important [letter]. Med J Aust 2021; 215: 190.
- 3. Finch S, Cumming G. Putting research in context: understanding confidence intervals from one or more studies. J Pediatr Psychol 2009; 34: 903–916.
- 4. Hurley JC. Why proper understanding of confidence intervals and statistical significance is important [letter]. Med J Aust 2021; 215: 190-191.
- 5. Cao B, Wang Y, Wen D, et al. A trial of lopinavir–ritonavir in adults hospitalized with severe Covid‐19. N Engl J Med 2020; 382: 1787–1799.
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