Practical research methods for orthopaedic surgeons.

Inherent to understanding an orthopaedic study is a fundamental knowledge of the study's design principles and statistics. Statistics, in part, allow a researcher to sample a portion of the population and use probability to decide whether the findings from the sample are likely to apply to the whole population. Although statistical jargon can be confusing, several simple principles guide the approach to research design. It is helpful for …