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Discussion. What does all this mean?. Implications. Discussion. State major findings Strengths and limitations Design, technique, results Discuss findings re: existing information “important” minor findings Implications of findings, for future research, new questions Summary.
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Discussion What does all this mean? Implications
Discussion • State major findings • Strengths and limitations • Design, technique, results • Discuss • findings re: existing information • “important” minor findings • Implications • of findings, for future research, new questions • Summary
Discussion: Problems • Difficult to write • Tend to be verbose, too long • Issues not addressed by the study • Sequence: does not flow • Introduce new information • Harp on trivial or obvious points • Ignore difficult to explain results
Discussion: Do not • Start with history • Repeat all your results • Provide new data • Extrapolate results • Superlatives
Discussion: Make life easy • Think and plan • Sequence • Identify subheadings (4 paragraphs) • Salient results: few sentences • Strengths and limitations • Compare and contrast: Existing literature • Implications • Conclusions: Take home message • For yourself
Focus the discussion • Begin with the most important point • Confine to the subject studied • Focus on key issue • Provide link sentences between paragraphs: ensure flow
Strengths • Study design • Sample size, controls, variables assessed • Length of follow up • Technique • New, established but not used in subset
Limitations • Selection bias • ? Generalize, apply • Drop outs • Discuss unexpected findings • Do not ignore, offer explanation • If none plausible: say so
Compare/contrast • Must: Good grasp of information • Provide explanations for differences • Avoid rhetoric; be diplomatic • Do not hesitate to criticize • reasons, logical argument • Discuss opposing views
Implications • Inter-relationships • Alteration in clinical practice • Speculate, but intelligently • Geographical • Financial • Consider alternative explanations • Take care: • Correlation does not indicate causation
Conclusions • Answer • So what? • Who cares? • Only those supported by data • Avoid sweeping statements Take home message
Is the job done? • Ask colleague to read • Get feedback • Re-work • Not till these done
Examples • Arnold and Chiari first described…1942 • Our results indicate an increasing prevalence of…48% in 1992 to 69% in 2003
Examples • This is the most authentic collection of data ever. • It could be argued that our data has no major clinical implications. However,…
Examples • This study surpasses all previous work in this field… • In 1971,…showed no improvement. However, they studied…methods with a low specificity. We…high specificity, … recently available, … different results.
Summary • Break in to sections: Structure • Provide a link sentence: Sequence • Short, clear, key issues • Limitations • So what? • Who cares? • Take home message