Abstract

Part I of this two-part article provides a foundation of statistical terms and analyses for clinicians who are not statisticians. Types of data, how data are distributed and described, hypothesis testing, statistical significance, sample size determination, and the statistical analysis of interval scale (numeric) data were reviewed. Some data are presented not as interval data, but as named categories, also called nominal or categorical data. Part II reviews statistical tests and terms that are used when analyzing nominal data, data that do not resemble a normal, bell-shaped curve when plotted on the x- and y-axes, linear and logistic regression analysis, and survival analyses. A comprehensive algorithm of appropriate statistical analysis determined by the type, number, and distribution of collected variables also is provided.