A physician is reviewing epidemiological data and preparing to communicate the findings to colleagues and patients. Match each clinical interpretation statement below to the specific measure of association or impact that it best represents.
- "The use of this novel anticoagulant decreases the overall incidence of recurrent venous thromboembolism by exactly 3 percentage points compared to standard therapy."Absolute Risk Reduction (ARR)
- "For every 50 patients who receive this intensive blood pressure regimen for three years, we expect one additional patient to develop acute kidney injury compared to the standard regimen."Number Needed to Harm (NNH)
- "Individuals with a history of severe childhood asthma are 3.2 times more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adulthood than those without such a history."Relative Risk (RR)
- "Among patients who regularly consume high amounts of processed meats, 40% of their colon cancer risk can be directly attributed to this specific dietary habit."Attributable Risk Percent (ARP)
Answer
The clinical statements correctly map to their respective biostatistical measures: the 3 percentage point decrease is Absolute Risk Reduction, the '1 in 50' adverse event rate is Number Needed to Harm, the '3.2 times more likely' probability is Relative Risk, and the '40% of their risk' proportion is Attributable Risk Percent.
Each clinical statement communicates a specific statistical metric in plain language. Absolute Risk Reduction represents the simple arithmetic difference between event rates. Number Needed to Harm translates an absolute risk increase into the number of patients required to yield one additional adverse outcome. Relative Risk expresses how many times more likely an outcome is in an exposed group versus an unexposed group. Attributable Risk Percent quantifies the fraction of disease in exposed individuals that is directly due to the exposure.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Interpreting and Communicating Measures of Association and Impact