An analysis of statistical terminology applied in emergency medicine literature methods

Given the importance of understanding methodical reporting and statistical terminology in ensuring evidence-based decision-making, physicians should possess statistical literacy. The purpose of this study was to distinguish statistical terminology commonly used in emergency medicine methods and describe changes in statistical methods from 2011 to 2021.

The research team chose four journals in emergency medicine widely read and clinically relevant: Academic Emergency Medicine, American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Annals of Emergency Medicine, and Journal of Emergency Medicine. A total of 400 research articles were included. The team compared overall frequencies in statistical word counts as well as differences by year (2021 vs 2011).

Included words from 2011 totaled 31,002 compared to 38,272 in 2021. Unique words for 2011 included 3801 compared to 4291 in 2021. The most common statistical words found in both years were model(s), difference(s), and regression(s). The largest increases in usage included the following words: noninferior(ity), NPV, Fixed, AUC, Mixed, Shapiro, and Wilk. Compared to 2011, results showed a 10% decrease in "p" for 2021. While the terms "Confidence" (2%) and "Intervals" (6%) decreased from 2011 to 2021, there was a 25% increase in "CI(s)".

By understanding common statistical terms and trends over time, educational efforts can be targeted to consumers of EM literature. Additionally, this work provides evidence suggesting an overall improvement in processes in statistical methodology, enhancing the quality of research outputs and ultimately allowing better clinical decision-making.