Hallelujah! Physiotherapists Join the Christmas Choir of Estimation Angels!

I woke on Christmas morning to a message from Bob with this link, to this editorial:

Not just a single journal, but journal editors for a whole discipline! Here’s the first para, highlights added:

Null hypothesis statistical tests are often conducted in healthcare research, including in the physiotherapy field. Despite their widespread use, null hypothesis statistical tests have important limitations. This co-published editorial explains statistical inference using null hypothesis statistical tests and the problems inherent to this approach; examines an alternative approach for statistical inference (known as estimation); and encourages readers of physiotherapy research to become familiar with estimation methods and how the results are interpreted. It also advises researchers that some physiotherapy journals that are members of the International Society of Physiotherapy Journal Editors (ISPJE) will be expecting manuscripts to use estimation methods instead of null hypothesis statistical tests.

“instead of…” — that’s music to my ears! What a wonderful Christmas gift!

This is from the text, highlights added (p. 3):

ISPJE member journals’policy regarding the estimation approach

The executive of the ISPJE strongly recommends that member journals seek to foster use of the estimation approach in the papers they publish. In line with that recommendation, the editors who have co-authored this editorial advise researchers that their journals will expect manuscripts to use estimation methods instead of null hypothesis statistical tests.

Support, Resources, References

The editorial includes brief explanations, useful summary tables, and 38 highly useful references, including 4 of Bob’s and/or mine.

I am so, so happy to see physiotherapy join the choir!

A very happy estimation Christmas to all,

Geoff