From: Statistical analyses of ordinal outcomes in randomised controlled trials: a scoping review
Statistical methods | Studies―n (%) |
---|---|
Descriptive statistics―n (%)a | |
- Frequencies and/or proportions/percentages (category specific) | 116 (81%) |
- Medians (across all categories) | 33 (23%) |
- Interquartile ranges (across all categories) | 31 (22%) |
- Means (across all categories) | 16 (11%) |
- Standard deviations (across all categories) | 10 (7%) |
- Other methods to summarise by group used | 10 (7%) |
- Summaries by group not used | 2 (1%) |
Inferential approach―n (%) | |
- Frequentist inference | 131 (91%) |
- Bayesian inference | 6 (4%) |
- Both frequentist and Bayesian | 2 (1%) |
- Descriptive analysis only | 5 (4%) |
Statistical method(s)―n (%)a | |
- Proportional odds model | 64 (44%) |
- Logistic regression model | 16 (11%) |
- Linear model | 16 (11%) |
- Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test | 15 (10%) |
- Wilcoxon test | 14 (10%) |
- Fisher’s exact test or chi-square test | 12 (8%) |
- Binomial regression model | 7 (5%) |
- Other | 24 (17%) |
- Could not be determined | 6 (4%) |
- Descriptive analysis only | 6 (4%) |
Original statistical method(s) modified―n (%)b | |
- No | 124 (86%) |
- Yes | 12 (8%) |
- Unknown | 2 (1%) |
- Not applicable | 6 (4%) |
Statistical method(s) assumptions checked and clearly described―n (%) | |
- No | 86 (60%) |
- Yes | 46 (32%) |
- Unknown | 5 (4%) |
- Not applicable (descriptive analysis or only bootstrapping methods used) | 7 (5%) |
Methods used to check assumptions:a | 46 |
- Statistical methods | 31 (67%) |
- Graphical methods | 2 (4%) |
- Prediction methods | 1 (2%) |
- Other | 7 (15%) |
- Not reported | 6 (13%) |
Methods used to account for repeated measures―n (%)a | 38 |
- Adjusted for baseline measurement | 18 (47%) |
- Mixed effects models | 14 (37%) |
- Generalised estimating equations | 4 (11%) |
- Other | 4 (11%) |
- Unknown | 2 (5%) |
Software package(s) used―n (%)a | |
- SAS | 81 (56%) |
- R | 35 (24%) |
- Stata | 27 (19%) |
- SPSS | 13 (9%) |
- Other | 9 (6%) |
- Unknown | 12 (8%) |