Dr David Sidebotham 

Cardiac Anaesthetist and Intensivist, CVICU, Auckland DHB, Auckland, NZ

David is taking a hiatus from his job in CVICU in Auckland for a sabbatical and to spend some time with Kit. He is studying for a degree in mathematics and statistics. He has been tinkering around with Bayes’ formula in his spare time.

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Losing My Religion: Why I No Longer Believe What I Read in Medical Journals

​False findings are an inevitable consequence of statistical testing. Small randomised trials are prone to false positive findings. More than half of all positive trials in  perioperative and intensive care medicine can have a high probability of false positive findings. By contrast, large randomised trials in critical care appear to have a high probability of false negative findings. Since large randomised trials in critical care are published in prestigious journals and are incorporated into treatment guidelines, a high false negative risk has the potential to have a major adverse impact on the care of our patients.

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