Principled Versus Statistical Thinking in Diagnosis and Treatment of Stroke

Opinion statement Medical science is now synonymous with probability-based statistics. Statistics deals with a group; it does not need probability theory. Probability theory is consistent with the worldview that the universe is infinite, bounded, random, and governed by chance. Its logic is binary,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current treatment options in cardiovascular medicine 2010-06, Vol.12 (3), p.292-296
Main Authors: Helgason, Cathy M., Jobe, Thomas H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy & physiology
Biology
Cardiology
Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke
Clinical trials
Medical diagnosis
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Pathophysiology
Patients
Physiology
Principles
Probability
Science
Stroke
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Summary:Opinion statement Medical science is now synonymous with probability-based statistics. Statistics deals with a group; it does not need probability theory. Probability theory is consistent with the worldview that the universe is infinite, bounded, random, and governed by chance. Its logic is binary, its geometry is Cartesian, its rules offer a scientific method by which hypotheses may be tested. Clinical trials and even hypothesis testing at the bedside have nestled into the probability foundation. As a result, scientific “evidence” now appears only through the lens of probability theory. Because there is no definitive truth in the worldview of probability theory, the truth of evidence lies in probabilities only. The probabilistic view of science has a firm impact on the practice of medicine and implications for medical–legal decisions.
ISSN:1092-8464
1534-3189
DOI:10.1007/s11936-010-0073-x