Statistics and Methodology in Orthopaedics, with special guests Sameer Parpia and Sheila Sprague.

Sheila Sprague

PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, McMaster University

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Sameer Parpia

PhD

Associate Professor and Biostatistician, McMaster University

Marc Swiontkowski

MD, FAOA

Professor, University of Minnesota

Mohit Bhandari

FRCSC, PhD

Distinguished University Professor, Chair of Surgery, McMaster University

The episode centers on the Journal’s renewed emphasis on rigorous statistics and methodology, featuring insights from senior editors Drs. Sprague and Parpia. They outline how to judge when RCTs are feasible, stressing equipoise, event rates, and the value of pilot phases. They discuss growing interest in Bayesian approaches, cautioning that priors must be prespecified and justified. Both underscore that strong methods cannot be retrofitted after the fact, whereas statistical analyses can be corrected if data are available. Clear research questions, adherence to CONSORT, polished writing, and transparent reporting are highlighted as essential for high-quality submissions.