摘要：To evaluate the quantity and quality of the use of statistics in
Austrian medical journals, all ¡°original research¡± papers in No. 116/1-12 of
Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift (WKW) and 153/1-24, 154/1-24 of Wiener
Medizinische Wochenschrift(WMW) were screened for their statistical content.
Types, frequencies and complexity of statistical methods applied were
systematically recorded. A 46-item checklist was used to evaluate statistical
quality for a subgroup of papers. 74.3% of WKW papers contained inferential
methods beyond descriptive statistics. Only 43.7% of WMW papers
employed methods of inferential statistics. There was a statistical significant
difference regarding the use of statistical methods between the two journals
(p = 0:009). In addition, complexity and sophistication of statistical analysis
was considerable higher for WKW papers (p = 0:02). Statistical errors
and deficiencies were identified in a large proportion of papers. Although
inferential statistics were frequently identified in papers from WKW, only a
minority of WMW research had analytical character. Types and frequencies
of statistical errors identified, did not vary meaningful from findings of similar
studies for a wide range of medical journals. There is reason to assume,
that the journal impact-factor does not seem to be a powerful predictor for the
statistical quality of published research.
关键词：Statistics in Medicine, Techniques, Complexity, Errors.
