Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of General Internal Medicine
Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine 5/2008

Open Access 01-05-2008 | Teaching Tips

Tips for Teachers of Evidence-Based Medicine: Understanding Odds Ratios and Their Relationship to Risk Ratios

Authors: Kameshwar Prasad, Roman Jaeschke, Peter Wyer, Sheri Keitz, Gordon Guyatt, Evidence-Based Medicine Teaching Tips Working Group

Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine | Issue 5/2008

Login to get access

Excerpt

Odds ratios (OR) commonly appear in the medical literature summarizing the comparative effects of interventions and exposures in observational studies, randomized trials, and meta-analyses. Clinicians find it difficult to understand odds and odds ratios as measures of association, although they may be comfortable with the parallel concepts of risk and risk ratios. Probably, no one (with the possible exception of certain statisticians) intuitively understands a ratio of odds.1,2 Nevertheless, odds ratios are frequently encountered in research reports as the principal measure of association.3‐5 …
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Sackett DL. Down with odds ratios!. Evidence Based Med. 1996;1:164–166.
2.
Sinclair JC, Bracken MB. Clinically useful measures of effect in binary analyses of randomized trials. J Clin Epidemiol. 1994;47:881–889.PubMedCrossRef
3.
Everitt HA, Little PS, Smith PWF. A randomised controlled trial of management strategies for acute infective conjunctivitis in general practice. BMJ. 2006;333:321–326.PubMedCrossRef
4.
Laird NM, Mosteller F. Some statistical methods for combining experimental results. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 1990;6:5–30.PubMedCrossRef
5.
Nathan JA, Pearce L, Field C, et al. A randomized controlled trial of follow-up of patients discharged from the hospital following acute asthma: best performed by specialist nurse or doctor? Chest. 2006;130:51–57.PubMedCrossRef
6.
Barratt A, Wyer PC, Hatala R, et al. Tips for teachers of evidence-based medicine: 1. Relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction and number needed to treat. CMAJ. 2004;171:353–358. (Online Appendix).PubMed
7.
Wyer PC, Keitz Sm, Hatala R, et al. Tips for learning and teaching evidence based-medicine: introduction to the series. CMAJ. 2004;171:347–348.PubMed
8.
Ringleb PA, Schellinger PD, Schranz C, Hacke W. Thrombolytic therapy within 3 to 6 hours after onset of ischemic stroke. Stroke. 2002;33:1437–1441.PubMedCrossRef
9.
Anonymous. Aspirin in high risk patients. Bandolier. 2003;108.
Metadata
Title
Tips for Teachers of Evidence-Based Medicine: Understanding Odds Ratios and Their Relationship to Risk Ratios
Authors
Kameshwar Prasad
Roman Jaeschke
Peter Wyer
Sheri Keitz
Gordon Guyatt
Evidence-Based Medicine Teaching Tips Working Group
Publication date
01-05-2008
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Journal of General Internal Medicine / Issue 5/2008
Print ISSN: 0884-8734
Electronic ISSN: 1525-1497
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0453-4

Other articles of this Issue 5/2008

Journal of General Internal Medicine 5/2008 Go to the issue

Original Article

Cost-effectiveness of Chlorthalidone, Amlodipine, and Lisinopril as First-step Treatment for Patients with Hypertension: An Analysis of the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT)

Original Article

Primary Versus Specialty Care Outcomes for Depressed Outpatients Managed with Measurement-Based Care: Results from STAR*D

Original Article

Primary-care Clinician Perceptions of Racial Disparities in Diabetes Care

Hospital Medicine

How Do Hospitalized Patients Feel About Resident Work Hours, Fatigue, and Discontinuity of Care?

Original Article

Patients Do not Know the Level of Training of Their Doctors Because Doctors Do not Tell Them

Brief Report

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Menopause: A Qualitative Analysis of Women’s Decision Making
Live Webinar | 27-06-2024 | 18:00 (CEST)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Reserve your place

Live: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

WHO estimates that half of all patients worldwide are non-adherent to their prescribed medication. The consequences of poor adherence can be catastrophic, on both the individual and population level.

Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.

Prof. Kevin Dolgin
Prof. Florian Limbourg
Prof. Anoop Chauhan
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Obesity Clinical Trial Summary

At a glance: The STEP trials

Read more

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.

Developed by: Springer Medicine

Highlights from the ACC 2024 Congress

Year in Review: Pediatric cardiology

Pediatric Cardiology Video

Watch Dr. Anne Marie Valente present the last year's highlights in pediatric and congenital heart disease in the official ACC.24 Year in Review session.

Year in Review: Pulmonary vascular disease

Cardiopulmonary Comorbidity Video

The last year's highlights in pulmonary vascular disease are presented by Dr. Jane Leopold in this official video from ACC.24.

Year in Review: Valvular heart disease

Valvular Heart Disease Video

Watch Prof. William Zoghbi present the last year's highlights in valvular heart disease from the official ACC.24 Year in Review session.

Year in Review: Heart failure and cardiomyopathies

Heart Failure Video

Watch this official video from ACC.24. Dr. Biykem Bozkurt discusses last year's major advances in heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

ACC 2024 Congress Coverage

Year in Review: Heart failure and cardiomyopathies

Heart Failure Video

Watch this official video from ACC.24. Dr. Biykem Bozkurt discusses last year's major advances in heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

Watch now

Semaglutide benefits people with type 2 diabetes and obesity-related heart failure

16-04-2024 Type 2 Diabetes News

Incentivised to exercise

11-04-2024 Lifestyle Modifications News

New intervention for STEMI-related cardiogenic shock

10-04-2024 Myocardial Infarction News

» View more highlights on the ACC 2024 congress hub page

Image Credits