Fragility Part I: a guide to understanding statistical power.

Madjarova, Sophia J; Pareek, Ayoosh; Eckhardt, Christina M; Khorana, Arjun; Kunze, Kyle N; Ollivier, Mattheu; Karlsson, Jón; Williams, Riley J et al. · Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc · 2022

editorial · Level V

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to close the knowledge-to-practice gap around statistical power. We demonstrate how four factors affect power: p value, effect size, sample size, and variance. This article further delves into the advantages and disadvantages of a priori versus post hoc power analyses, though we believe only understanding of the former is essential to addressing the present-day issue of reproducibility in research. Upon reading this paper, physician-scientists should have expanded their arsenal of statistical tools and have the necessary context to understand statistical fragility.

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