A mistake in the operating room

Found atĀ https://www.nature.com/articles/ncpuro0294#article-info via https://twitter.com/MaartenvSmeden/status/1071138625415458817

A mistake in the operating room can threaten the life of one patient; a mistake in statistical analysis or interpretation can lead to hundreds of early deaths. So it is perhaps odd that, while we allow a doctor to conduct surgery only after years of training, we give SPSSĀ® (SPSS, Chicago, IL) to almost anyone. Moreover, whilst only a surgeon would comment on surgical technique, it seems that anybody, regardless of statistical training, feels confident about commenting on statis- tical data. If we are to bring the vast efforts of research to fruition, and truly practice evidence- based medicine, we must learn to interpret the results of randomized trials appropriately.