[On Clinical Significance in German Clinical Rehabilitation Trials - An Inventory of Current Practice].

OBJECTIVE: It is investigated whether and how the issue of clinical significance is treated in German rehabilitation trials.
METHODS: Review of 64 articles published between 2012 and 2016, which report data on at least 2 measuring times and involve German scientists and rehabilitation facilities.
RESULTS: Clinical significance is mentioned in 28% of the articles, defined by 19%, and 13% provide justification for the definition. Statistics suitable for determining clinical significance are reported by 70% but no more than 28% actually use these statistics for this purpose. The most commonly used statistics are measures of effect size (45%). They are interpreted schematically according to Cohen's categories without further reflection.
CONCLUSION: Determining and discussing the clinical significance of results is recognizable in the majority of cases only to some extent or non-existing. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.