THE MOST COMMON STATISTICAL ERRORS FOUND IN ALBANIAN MEDICAL RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS: CRITICAL INSIGHTS FROM A RANDOM STUDY SAMPLE OF FREE ONLINE PUBLISHED ARTICLES AND LEARNINGS FROM THE LITERATURE
Dr. Leidon Shapo* and Eduart Hashorva
ABSTRACT
Background: There is now strong evidence to support the statistical analysis importance as part of any medical
research. However, the study method and the inappropriate use of statistical analysis can lead to study invalidity
and false conclusions. Study Method: This is a review article aimed to highlight some of the most common
medical statistical errors found from an internal observation of published articles in three of the Albanian medical
journals (available free online) during a five-year period (2019 – 2023). In this paper we present the results from a
sample of fifty randomly selected articles that met the eligibility criteria. The evaluation process included the
statistical method used with a focus on identifying the most common errors present in these studies while we
reflect on learnings from the literature on the same subject and specific statistical errors. Results: The top three
most common statistical errors we found were: the „lack of the sample size calculation (88%)‟, the „sampling
selection criteria not provided (64%)‟, and the „absence of an adequate control condition/group (50%)‟.
Conclusions: The statistical methods used in any medical research are key components as they provide both the
required study accuracy and reliability. In addition, the use of appropriate statistical methods supports the process
of making correct statistical analyses, draw the right conclusions and avoid various errors. The misuse of statistics
in medical studies is a known issue that is both unethical and can have serious clinical consequences.
Keywords: Medical research, study design, statistical methods, statistical errors, confidence interval.
[Full Text Article]
[Download Certificate]
Impact Factor : 8.181 
