Introducing Critical Care Forum'songoing review of medical statistics

Statistics is increasingly used in all fields of medicine but is often poorly understood and incorrectly applied. Critical Careis therefore launching a series of articles aimed at providing a simple introduction or refresher to some of the more commonly used statistical tools and ideas. This series does not aim to be an exhaustive review of medical statistics but rather a starting point to inform readers and stimulate more thought and investigation as to the most appropriate statistical methods to use and the theory and assumptions behind them.