Content area
Full Text
Background and Purpose. Statistics are a tool that can be used to organize, summarize, and interpret information provided by research. An analysis of which statistical techniques are used most often in journals will help to identify those techniques most essential for understanding research. Similar studies have been performed to analyze statistics used in other disciplines such as psychology, education, and various areas of medicine, hut no such study has been undertaken in the field of physical therapy. The purpose of this content analysis is to identify the types of statistical techniques used in Physical Therapy. Methods, In order to determine the types of statistics and the frequency of techniques used, all articles from July 2000 through July 2002 were examined for the frequency of statistical techniques. Results. Findings of this study showed that the 10 most common statistical techniques used were as follows (in order of most frequent to least frequent): descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t test, factorial ANOVA, intraclass correlation, appropriate post hoc analyses, Pearson correlation, regression, chi square, and nonparametric tests analogous to the t test. Understanding these 10 statistical techniques would allow the reader to understand 80% of statistical techniques used in Physical Therapy during this 2-year time period. Discussion and Conclusion. Comprehension of these most common statistical techniques is very important in allowing the reader to begin to understand and critique the physical therapy literature. This article provides new and unique information, which may help educators design statistics courses for professional (entry-level) physical therapist students.
Key Words: Research, Statistics.
INTRODUCTION
Outcomes research to provide evidence for physical therapy examination and intervention has become a primary goal for the profession of physical therapy.1 In order to provide the graduating physical therapist with the tools needed to effectively and accurately examine outcomes research, a solid background in research design and statistical analysis is an advantage.2,3 Evidence of the importance of research in the profession of physical therapy can be found in the Evaluation Criteria for Accreditation of Education Program for the Preparation of Physical Therapists.4 The evaluative criteria for graduates of a professional (entry-level) physical therapy program related to research come under the heading of "Critical Inquiry and Clinical Decision-making" and include:
3.8.3.10. Evaluate published studies related to physical...