Statistical Methods for Cardiovascular Outcomes Studies

Evidence-based principles have greatly improved clinical practice in the last century. Such principles are informed by rigorous epidemiologic and statistical methodologies. This chapter discusses commonly used study designs and statistical analyses implemented in biomedical research. Topics include descriptive, associative, and multivariable analyses; stratification by group; hypothesis testing; basic descriptions of frequentist and Bayesian approaches; observational studies; randomized and target trials; statistical power; and sample size considerations. While not exhaustive, these fundamental topics are framed with functional examples in cardiology.