# general

**URL:** https://discourse.datamethods.org/c/gen/1.md?page=1

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## [Change the range not the language on confidence intervals](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/change-the-range-not-the-language-on-confidence-intervals/27740)

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**Author:** [@kiwiskiNZ](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/kiwiskiNZ)\
**Replies:** 33\
**Last updated:** [February 27, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/change-the-range-not-the-language-on-confidence-intervals/27740 "2026-02-27T17:07:47Z")

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In medical literature we seem to have 95% confidence intervals locked in. This forum has some interesting discussion about changing the language - compatible intervals, non-divergent intervals etc. That aside, I’d like…

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## [One-sided significance threshold of less than 0.1 in Phase 2 clinical trial](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/one-sided-significance-threshold-of-less-than-0-1-in-phase-2-clinical-trial/28645)

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**Author:** [@kishtagaria](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/kishtagaria)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [February 25, 2026, 12:38pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/one-sided-significance-threshold-of-less-than-0-1-in-phase-2-clinical-trial/28645 "2026-02-25T12:38:54Z")

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Doing a phase 2 RCT using one-sided significance threshold of less than 0.1 is acceptable? I always thought that a one-sided significance threshold of p \< 0.10 (10% type I error rate), a meaningful departure from the con…

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## [Six Entrenched Misconceptions About Meta-Analysis Models](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/six-entrenched-misconceptions-about-meta-analysis-models/27973)

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**Author:** [@s\_doi](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/s_doi)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [February 22, 2026, 3:36am UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/six-entrenched-misconceptions-about-meta-analysis-models/27973 "2026-02-22T03:36:11Z")

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We have posted a preprint that addresses the six major misconceptions currently circulating with respect to meta-analysis models with an aim to dispel these and move evidence synthesis forwards. Your comments will be app…

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## [REDCap EHR integration for clinical trials](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/redcap-ehr-integration-for-clinical-trials/28569)

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**Author:** [@Elias\_Eythorsson](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/Elias_Eythorsson)\
**Replies:** 17\
**Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/redcap-ehr-integration-for-clinical-trials/28569 "2026-02-20T12:24:45Z")

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I have received a fairly large grant to create electronic infrastructure at my institution to facilitate clinical trial work. We have an in-house electronic health record and I want to build in modules that support clini…

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## [Good reading on when "doubly robust" is worth the effort?](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/good-reading-on-when-doubly-robust-is-worth-the-effort/17033)

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**Author:** [@timdisher](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/timdisher)\
**Replies:** 8\
**Last updated:** [February 18, 2026, 12:32pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/good-reading-on-when-doubly-robust-is-worth-the-effort/17033 "2026-02-18T12:32:47Z")

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Hello everyone, Every couple of years it seems there is a wave of doubly robust boosters in my field of interest (evidence synthesis/comparative effectiveness supporting HTA submissions primarily). Does anyone have some…

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## [Significance versus hypothesis testing](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/significance-versus-hypothesis-testing/28638)

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**Author:** [@s\_doi](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/s_doi)\
**Replies:** 13\
**Last updated:** [February 17, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/significance-versus-hypothesis-testing/28638 "2026-02-17T21:39:26Z")

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We make a distinction between Fishers approach and the NP approach (Fix α (e.g., 0.05), control type I error, maximize power subject to that constraint). However after reading the arguments between Fisher and NP, I tend …

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## [“False Transport” of RCT entry criteria to clinical protocols](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/false-transport-of-rct-entry-criteria-to-clinical-protocols/28608)

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**Author:** [@llynn](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/llynn)\
**Replies:** 1\
**Last updated:** [February 7, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/false-transport-of-rct-entry-criteria-to-clinical-protocols/28608 "2026-02-07T18:23:18Z")

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“False transport” is probably the greatest risk posed by clinical trials, yet it has received little attention. This issue is not going away and CONSORT will need to confront the fact that trials which pass this checklis…

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## [Signal vs Noise - assessing the impact of policy changes](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/signal-vs-noise-assessing-the-impact-of-policy-changes/28584)

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**Author:** [@trumanfrancis](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/trumanfrancis)\
**Replies:** 11\
**Last updated:** [January 17, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/signal-vs-noise-assessing-the-impact-of-policy-changes/28584 "2026-01-17T20:33:49Z")

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I understand horse racing is a controversial topic… that is not the point of this question. Due to incidents where horses suffered life threatening musculoskeletal injuries during races a lot of interest in employing va…

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## [Book recommendations for a mid-career/senior biostatistician](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/book-recommendations-for-a-mid-career-senior-biostatistician/28593)

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**Author:** [@isagonas](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/isagonas)\
**Replies:** 9\
**Last updated:** [January 14, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/book-recommendations-for-a-mid-career-senior-biostatistician/28593 "2026-01-14T20:20:20Z")

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Dear DataMethods community, I am Ioannis, a medical doctor and resident physician in Dermatology. I have been following this forum regularly and have found the discussions consistently thoughtful, so I thought it was ti…

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## [If you could fix one topic in Modern Statistics, what would it be?](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/if-you-could-fix-one-topic-in-modern-statistics-what-would-it-be/28552)

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**Author:** [@Uriah](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/Uriah)\
**Replies:** 28\
**Last updated:** [January 10, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/if-you-could-fix-one-topic-in-modern-statistics-what-would-it-be/28552 "2026-01-10T12:50:58Z")

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Imagine you could erase one misconception or one bad practice in modern statistics with a magic wand: Which one would you choose? My answer is trivial, treating non-significant results as failures makes me doubt the ent…

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## [An attempt to systematically assess potential sources of bias in a recent COVID-19 vaccine safety study](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/an-attempt-to-systematically-assess-potential-sources-of-bias-in-a-recent-covid-19-vaccine-safety-study/28567)

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**Author:** [@Alessandro\_Rovetta](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/Alessandro_Rovetta)\
**Replies:** 3\
**Last updated:** [December 22, 2025, 12:48am UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/an-attempt-to-systematically-assess-potential-sources-of-bias-in-a-recent-covid-19-vaccine-safety-study/28567 "2025-12-22T00:48:45Z")

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Dear DataMethods users, In this post, I would like to propose what I consider to be an important attempt in the social and epidemiological domain, in light of the highly polarized climate surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. …

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## [Crowdsource critical appraisal of studies on Hepatitis B vaccine side effects](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/crowdsource-critical-appraisal-of-studies-on-hepatitis-b-vaccine-side-effects/28553)

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**Author:** [@samw235711](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/samw235711)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [December 20, 2025, 3:51am UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/crowdsource-critical-appraisal-of-studies-on-hepatitis-b-vaccine-side-effects/28553 "2025-12-20T03:51:54Z")

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Below is a screen shot of a popular blog post challenging the hepatitis B vaccine in newborns. The post mentions many studies on the side effects of the hepatitis B vaccine. Thought to draw upon the expertise in this f…

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## [Regression by Composition](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/regression-by-composition/28566)

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**Author:** [@AndersHuitfeldt](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/AndersHuitfeldt)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [December 18, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/regression-by-composition/28566 "2025-12-18T12:41:06Z")

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Our preprint “Regression by Composition” is now available at https://rss.org.uk/RSS/media/File-library/Events/Discussion%20meetings/rbc.pdf , and will be read to the Royal Statistical Society on March 24th, 2026. Regre…

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## [NEJM Trial - proportional hazard assumption](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/nejm-trial-proportional-hazard-assumption/28530)

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**Author:** [@ChrisOdonnell](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/ChrisOdonnell)\
**Replies:** 12\
**Last updated:** [December 1, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/nejm-trial-proportional-hazard-assumption/28530 "2025-12-01T12:41:58Z")

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Hey there, I am an interventional cardiologist with special interest in heart failure and there was recently published the DIGIT-HF Trial in the NEJM (pdf online here) When I read the study I was kind of irritated, why t…

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## [Propensity score weights](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/propensity-score-weights/28536)

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**Author:** [@s\_doi](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/s_doi)\
**Replies:** 14\
**Last updated:** [November 28, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/propensity-score-weights/28536 "2025-11-28T16:27:01Z")

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Question for @ngreifer Considering ATE, ATT, ATO and ATM weights, it is commonly said that a weighted estimator (ATE/ATT/ATO/ATM) targets a marginal estimand — an average over a specified population (whole population, …

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## [Sample size calculation - ANCOVA](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/sample-size-calculation-ancova/28516)

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**Author:** [@JuliaRose](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/JuliaRose)\
**Replies:** 19\
**Last updated:** [November 27, 2025, 8:23am UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/sample-size-calculation-ancova/28516 "2025-11-27T08:23:59Z")

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In our group we are planning a small RCT. We have data from an feasibility study and the setting is the following: three arms: Placebo, Therapy1, Therapy2 two timepoints of measurement of our parameter of interest: Bas…

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## [AI company use of texts](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/ai-company-use-of-texts/28494)

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**Author:** [@kiwiskiNZ](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/kiwiskiNZ)\
**Replies:** 2\
**Last updated:** [October 22, 2025, 7:09pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/ai-company-use-of-texts/28494 "2025-10-22T19:09:49Z")

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Anthropic AI have just got pinged for breaking copyright. This includes academic texts and what I read suggested claims of US$3000 per book on the list. I post here because I grabbed a book on my desk to check, @f2harre…

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## [The rooster's crowing](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/the-roosters-crowing/28490)

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**Author:** [@karlamoPA](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/karlamoPA)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [October 20, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/the-roosters-crowing/28490 "2025-10-20T15:26:09Z")

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Greetings all, Sharing an op ed piece that will be published to my local paper this week. Hoping it will inspire experts to similarly explain to a confused public how the republican party, by installing a charlatan to h…

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## [KM estimates for different stratas do not add up and it makes me crazy!](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/km-estimates-for-different-stratas-do-not-add-up-and-it-makes-me-crazy/28426)

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**Author:** [@Uriah](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/Uriah)\
**Replies:** 15\
**Last updated:** [October 13, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/km-estimates-for-different-stratas-do-not-add-up-and-it-makes-me-crazy/28426 "2025-10-13T14:29:10Z")

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I’ve been working with Kaplan–Meier (KM) survival estimates and ran into something that seems paradoxical at first: If I split my sample into strata, compute KM survival separately in each stratum, and then try to combi…

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## [When and why (not) to worry about the PO assumption](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/when-and-why-not-to-worry-about-the-po-assumption/28473)

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**Author:** [@ylong](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/ylong)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [October 9, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/when-and-why-not-to-worry-about-the-po-assumption/28473 "2025-10-09T12:16:11Z")

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Aim We wrote an article (Long, Wiegers, Jacobs, Steyerberg, & Van Zwet, 2025) about the proportional odds (PO) assumption in the analysis of ordinal outcomes. we use various examples from neurological trials. We distingu…

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## [What I should learn](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/what-i-should-learn/28464)

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**Author:** [@fwyale](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/fwyale)\
**Replies:** 8\
**Last updated:** [October 7, 2025, 3:58am UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/what-i-should-learn/28464 "2025-10-07T03:58:50Z")

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Hi, Dr. Harrell: I have one question regarding my career. When I studied at school, I learned classical stuff, such as linear/logistic/Poisson regression, sampling, and so on. No ML, no causal inference, no clinical tri…

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## [Comparing multiple groups to a reference group](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/comparing-multiple-groups-to-a-reference-group/28460)

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**Author:** [@Seydoug007](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/Seydoug007)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [October 6, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/comparing-multiple-groups-to-a-reference-group/28460 "2025-10-06T18:26:42Z")

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I would like to compare several groups to a reference group, with the main idea being to show that the other groups are not inferior to the reference. Ideally, I would also like to test for superiority if not inferior. T…

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## [Estimating the probability of neonatal sepsis with plug-in incidence](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/estimating-the-probability-of-neonatal-sepsis-with-plug-in-incidence/28379)

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**Author:** [@samw235711](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/samw235711)\
**Replies:** 6\
**Last updated:** [September 11, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/estimating-the-probability-of-neonatal-sepsis-with-plug-in-incidence/28379 "2025-09-11T21:22:17Z")

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Anyone have any experience with the neonatal early-onset sepsis model \[1\]? It takes variables like the mother’s highest temperature, Group B strep, etc, and estimates the probability that the newborn will develop sepsis.…

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## [Variability in the measurement of a drug metabolite](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/variability-in-the-measurement-of-a-drug-metabolite/28325)

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**Author:** [@trumanfrancis](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/trumanfrancis)\
**Replies:** 2\
**Last updated:** [August 15, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/variability-in-the-measurement-of-a-drug-metabolite/28325 "2025-08-15T14:49:05Z")

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This may be a very strange question. A veterinary pharmacologist contacted me regarding a horse that was drug tested at a lab in France and the sample value was 3.1 ng/ml for meloxicam, a second test of the same sample …

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## [Covariates and presentation of RCT time-to-event results](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/covariates-and-presentation-of-rct-time-to-event-results/28299)

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**Author:** [@Federico1989](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/Federico1989)\
**Replies:** 2\
**Last updated:** [August 1, 2025, 11:40am UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/covariates-and-presentation-of-rct-time-to-event-results/28299 "2025-08-01T11:40:34Z")

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Good morning I am an oncology resident and I am struggling with some basic concepts of statistics. In Oncology, when survival data from randomized trials (comparing the effect of an experimental drug with a control drug…

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## [Is Harrell's Concordance Index Not Proper When Using Predicted Times?](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/is-harrells-concordance-index-not-proper-when-using-predicted-times/28290)

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**Author:** [@shi-ang](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/shi-ang)\
**Replies:** 6\
**Last updated:** [July 30, 2025, 10:36pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/is-harrells-concordance-index-not-proper-when-using-predicted-times/28290 "2025-07-30T22:36:19Z")

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Hi Harrell, Thank you for creating this interesting forum and for your contributions to this community. I have a question about the C-index that I would like to confirm with you and others in the community. Is the ori…

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## [Some thoughts on uniform prior probabilities when estimating P values and confidence intervals](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/some-thoughts-on-uniform-prior-probabilities-when-estimating-p-values-and-confidence-intervals/7508)

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**Author:** [@HuwLlewelyn](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/HuwLlewelyn)\
**Replies:** 321\
**Last updated:** [July 18, 2025, 11:28am UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/some-thoughts-on-uniform-prior-probabilities-when-estimating-p-values-and-confidence-intervals/7508 "2025-07-18T11:28:14Z")

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I would be grateful for views about these thoughts! It is important when teaching a topic to begin with a concept with which the student is already familiar. This helps the student to integrate the new information into …

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## [A New Perspective on Medical Decision-Making with Combinatorial Game Theory](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/a-new-perspective-on-medical-decision-making-with-combinatorial-game-theory/28175)

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**Author:** [@fargolo](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/fargolo)\
**Replies:** 10\
**Last updated:** [July 9, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/a-new-perspective-on-medical-decision-making-with-combinatorial-game-theory/28175 "2025-07-09T18:53:26Z")

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Dear members of the Data Methods community, I’ve been exploring a somewhat unconventional lens for analyzing medical decision-making and wanted to share it with this community for your thoughts and feedback. I’ve writte…

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## [A Statistician Reads JAMA](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/a-statistician-reads-jama/28225)

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**Author:** [@R\_cubed](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/R_cubed)\
**Replies:** 26\
**Last updated:** [July 8, 2025, 1:11pm UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/a-statistician-reads-jama/28225 "2025-07-08T13:11:46Z")

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Scott Berry examines a recent RCT that was controversial due to the adjustments for multiple tests, and likely resulted in a rejection of a potential beneficial treatment.

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## [Executable Specification of Dose Escalation Oncology Protocol now on Arxiv](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/executable-specification-of-dose-escalation-oncology-protocol-now-on-arxiv/8437)

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**Author:** [@R\_cubed](https://discourse.datamethods.org/u/R_cubed)\
**Replies:** 5\
**Last updated:** [July 3, 2025, 7:19am UTC](https://discourse.datamethods.org/t/executable-specification-of-dose-escalation-oncology-protocol-now-on-arxiv/8437 "2025-07-03T07:19:11Z")

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I still have to read the paper, but @davidcnorrismd and the computer scientist Markus Triska, have published a paper demonstrating the properties of a clinical trial design using one of my favorite computing languages – …

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