Statistical Analysis and Implementation

One of the main components of an RCT’s analysis is the statistical analysis plan (SAP). This plan ensures that the analyses to evaluate all planned study hypotheses are conducted in a scientifically valid way and that all decisions are documented. It also provides detail on how the results will be presented, reported and then implemented.

Julius Sim, statistician in the Keele Clinical Trials Unit, discusses the role of statistics in clinical trials:

Our Impact Accelerator Unit (IAU) in the School of Primary, Community and Social Care, Keele University, now have a five-year track record of co-creating service transformation to increase quality of care; maintaining the patient voice as an integral part of knowledge mobilisation through our LINK group; securing and delivering a strong portfolio of externally funded activity; and developing the next generation of knowledge mobilisers and leaders.

We have a broad range of skills and experience necessary for successful and sustainable implementation of evidence. We draw on large networks and connections to adopt innovations to local contexts, influence change and accelerate the movement of best evidence into practice. We work with a range of stakeholders to support the uptake of evidence-based practice. These Top 10 Tips explain more about our approaches to implementation.

Keele’s LINK Group have put together some Top 10 Tips for dissemination and knowledge mobilisation.

Please find attached here a poster of Methodological Publications from Keele CTU.

Other ways you may wish to disseminate the results of your research might be;

  • Publishing in journals
  • Compiling reports for funders / sponsors / regulatory bodies
  • Presenting at conferences / workshops / Specialist Interest Group (SIG) meetings
  • Presenting to research sites by presentation, posters or newsletters
  • Informing research participants by letter or newsletter

The Keele STarT Back Screening Tool is a brief validated tool (Hill et al 2008), designed to screen primary care patients with low back pain for prognostic indicators that are relevant to initial decision making. The STarT Back trial, published in The Lancet, was designed to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of stratified management approach.