Guest Blog: When it all backfires

Although vaccines are probably one of the most effective public health interventions to reduce mortality and morbidity, it’s apparent that vaccine ‘scares’, often fueled by mass-media have caused some parents to question their value and safety. Wile we paediatricians try hard to keep vaccination rates up, we don’t know how effective are our messages or […]

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StatsMiniBlog: Z scores.

A recent journal club article, the exact nature of which is irrelevant, triggered a coffee-room discussion on the subject of z scores, which although often understood in relation to Bone Mineral Density reports are otherwise a statistical challenge. In particular the difficulties in interpreting them in a meaningful way were lamented by our team. […]

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Springing into action

If you could get a multiplex PCR result back to you within 2 hours that told you your hot, grumpy, 2 month old patient did not have bacteraemia, would you discontinue antibiotics? How sure would you need to be of that result – 95% certain? 98% certain? 99.5% certain? What – in diagnostic analysis speak […]

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