Western Governors University (WGU) HCM3410 C431 Healthcare Research and Statistics Practice Exam

A numerical finding that is statistically significant indicates that the result is unlikely to have occurred by chance, given the data and the statistical model used. However, statistical significance does not automatically imply that the finding is clinically meaningful.

Clinical meaningfulness involves assessing whether the size of the effect or the difference observed has practical relevance in a real-world clinical context. For instance, a low p-value indicates that the result is statistically significant, but the actual difference between groups might be minor and not impactful in patient care or treatment outcomes. This distinction is crucial in healthcare research because a statistically significant result could lead to changes in clinical practice that may not actually benefit patients.

Therefore, while statistical relevance focuses on the likelihood that the results are not due to random chance, it does not guarantee that those results will have a significant or useful impact on patient health, which is the essence of clinical meaningfulness.