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Centre for Statistics in Medicine

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Latest news from CSM


COVID-19 prognosis and prediction models for medical decision-making are flawed, say researchers

The modelling and approach to tackle the hard medical decisions associated with the spread of the COVID-19 virus may be based on weak and overly-optimistic evidence from studies that are biased and unreliable, suggests research published by The BMJ today.

Oxford-led international research finds hydroxychloroquine safe in over 130,000 patients

Over 300 researchers from the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) international community have declared hydroxychloroquine safe, but caution that its effectiveness is still unknown.

Sponsored place available for the Randomised Controlled Trials Course

The inaugural Doug Altman scholarship will be offered to an LMIC (lower-to-middle-income country) applicant or a student.

Flu antiviral has bigger benefits for sicker, older patients

A Europe-wide study conducted over three flu seasons finds that the antiviral drug, oseltamivir (Tamiflu®), can help people recover from flu-like illness about one-day sooner on average, with older, sicker patients who have been unwell for longer recovering two-to-three days sooner.

NIHR success for NDORMS researchers

Four investigators based at the Botnar Research Centre, NDORMS have been recently awarded National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) fellowships to further our understanding of a variety of musculoskeletal conditions and develop better methodology to support medical research.

CSM members ICTMC submission success

YSM prize awarded to CSM Statistician Jamie Stokes

How do you explain your research to the public?

... Spend a day at a science festival talking to children! Patricia Logullo talks about her experience at Cheltenham Science Festival.

Mounting evidence that BMI and smoking should not be used for rationing knee and hip replacement

A new study by researchers at NDORMS, University of Oxford now published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage found that the average lifetime risk of needing further surgery following knee and hip replacement – revision surgery – was around 5% after knee replacement and 8% after hip replacement, with neither body mass index (BMI, combining an individual's height and weight) or smoking having any meaningful effect on these risks.

Shaping medical care through innovative methodology

The Centre for Statistics in Medicine (CSM) has been awarded £2.5m by Cancer Research UK to advance a programme of work for research on research, developing crucial methodology and key guidelines for excellent medical research.

Guidelines on reporting multi-arm parallel-group randomised trials

Early-career researchers praise EQUATOR Publication School

The latest EQUATOR Publication School, held 11-12 April by the UK EQUATOR Centre at NDORMS, was a resounding success!

New Cochrane review on exercise for prevention of falls in older people

New research published in the Cochrane Library today provides strong evidence that falls in people over sixty-years old can be prevented by exercise programmes.

Lead Statistician Joins OCTRU/CSM

OCTRU/CSM have recruited a new lead statistician to join the team.

NDORMS part of large European project on health data and evidence network

Professor Daniel Prieto-Alhambra of NDORMS will lead a work package on the generation of evidence from European wide observational data as part of a new Innovative Medicines Initiative project, the European Health Data & Evidence Network (EHDEN).

Getting sample sizes right for clinical trials

New guidance published yesterday by a team led by NDORMS Associate Professor Jonathan Cook will help researchers recruit the right number of people for clinical trials and answer key research questions.

New clinical tool will help patients with acute ankle sprain

Patients arriving at hospital emergency departments with acute ankle sprains can expect more timely advice and follow-up care in future after researchers in Oxford developed a new tool that will aid clinical decisions on treatment.

Muscle weakness costs the UK £2.5 billion

UK health and social care costs due to muscle weakness amount to around £2.5 billion according to a new study carried out at the University of Oxford and the University of Southampton.

EQUATOR Network awarded for reducing waste in research

The EQUATOR Network Education and Training Manager, Caroline Struthers received the Cochrane-REWARD Prize from the hands of Sir Iain Chalmers during the gala dinner of the Cochrane Colloquium in Edinburgh, this Monday 17 September.

NDORMS staff recognised for research and teaching excellence

Congratulations to our seven researchers who were awarded new titles in the University's 2018 Recognition of Distinction exercise.

NDORMS Professors on the REF2021 assessment team

Congratulations to Professors Sallie Lamb and Alan Silman on being appointed to serve on assessment sub-panels for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

Thank you, Doug Altman

Doug Altman did nothing short of forever changing the fields of statistics and medical research. With that, he touched the lives of thousands, if not millions of people worldwide… a handful more than those who will miss him.

Moderate to high intensity exercise does not slow cognitive decline in people with dementia

Moderate to high intensity exercise does not slow cognitive (mental) impairment in older people with dementia, finds a trial published by The BMJ today.

NDORMS Apprentice is the Oxfordshire Apprentice of the Year 2018

Congratulations to Katie Chegwin in the Centre for Statistics in Medicine (CSM) for being awarded the Oxfordshire Apprentice of the Year and Higher Apprentice Awards in the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards 2018.

CSM statisticians recognised at WCO-IOF-ESCEO conference

Three members of CSM were recognised for the excellence of their epidemiological research into osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal conditions at a conference this weekend.

‘Life support’ for livers may improve transplants

Preserving livers at body temperature may improve transplant outcomes and increase viable donor liver numbers, thereby lowering waiting list mortality rates, reports a paper published online this week in Nature.

Sharing experiences in best-practice clinical trial design

CSM statisticians published their experiences in overcoming the challenges of using adaptive designs for early phase clinical trials. These trial designs are more likely to find the right answer than traditional designs.

CSM study protocol tied for winning position at ECCO workshop

CSM collaborator Sean O’Cathail took CEDAR, an adaptive phase I trial in rectal cancer, to a Europe-wide protocol development workshop in June 2017, where it tied for most innovative protocol.

Showcasing five years of the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit

The Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit celebrates five years of running and supporting excellent clinical trials that benefit patients and improve healthcare.

Medical statistician wins best presentation at RSS Young Statisticians Meeting

Usama Ali, medical statistician at the Centre for Statistics in Medicine (CSM) wowed the crowd at the Royal Statistical Society’s (RSS) 2017 Young Statisticians Meeting, winning best presentation for his work preventing falls in hospitals.

Supporting patient safety through best-practice trial design

UK statisticians and trialists reach out to the clinical trial community in an awareness-raising paper published this week as a first step in changing practice. They promote the use of adaptive designs in early-phase clinical trials to improve trial efficiency, which will benefit patients.

EQUATOR Network honoured by the Council of Science Editors

We take great pride in announcing that the EQUATOR Network has won the Council for Science Editors’ 2017 Award for Meritorious Achievement.

Celebrating International Clinical Trials Day 2017

International Clinical Trials Day helps to raise awareness of clinical trials and recognises everyone involved in and affected by trials – researchers, clinicians, statisticians, patient participants, funders and the wider public.

CSM, past and future

Celebrating 20 years of excellence with Doug Altman and welcoming the future.

Metal-on-metal revision research takes centre-stage at world’s largest orthopaedic conference

A new study on patient outcomes after metal-on-metal hip replacement revision surgery has been selected as part of a prestigious 'Game Changers' session at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting.

NIHR Fellowships for NDORMS

Award to M Sanni Ali for work on bone fragility in diabetic patients

Honours for Professor Sallie Lamb

NDORMS Professor Sallie Lamb has been elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and been awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by Brunel University.

Taking research to the next level with EQUATOR Publication School

Twenty researchers and clinicians joined the UK EQUATOR Centre for a week-long journey to create well-reported, clear research with an impact beyond academia.

Public policy needs a solid base of impartially reported, well-contextualised statistics

Sir Andrew Dilnot of the UK Statistics Authority drew gasps and laughs as he exposed internal and media biases with public policy statistics at the Oxford local chapter of the Royal Statistical Society, emphasising the crucial role of statisticians and social scientists in public policy.

Research Integrity and Peer Review Journal launches this week

Research on ethics, reporting and evaluation of research found a home this week, as BioMed Central launched the new Research Integrity and Peer Review Journal. CSM’s Iveta Simera is one of the founding editors-in-chief.

NDORMS researchers shine a spotlight on the quality of fall prevention research

Trials Journal showcases a new study by NDORMS researchers showing that fall injury prevention trials fail to use a core outcome set.

CSM junior statisticians recognised for excellence

CSM is proud to announce that two of our junior statisticians, Corran Roberts and Pradeep Virdee, were recognised during this year’s Award for Excellence exercise

Research reporting tools now in Portuguese

A collaboration between PAHO and the EQUATOR Network creates tools in Portuguese to promote excellence in research reporting.

Offering carers of people with dementia easily accessible support

The UK’s largest research trial of support for carers of people with dementia, supported by CSM statisticians, has now launched nationally.

SCALOP-2 trial: Investigating chemotherapy and radiotherapy in localised pancreatic cancer to improve outcomes

In commemoration of World Cancer Day on 4 February 2016, we are pleased to announce the opening of a new Cancer Research UK-funded pancreatic cancer trial supported by CSM statisticians.

Model-based trial design for more efficient phase I trials

In commemoration of World Cancer Day on 4 February 2016, CSM statisticians present a TiTE-CRM phase I trial design for testing a chemoradiotherapy intervention in oesophageal cancer.

Improving diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of a precursor to oesophageal cancer

In commemoration of World Cancer Day on 4 February 2016, read about two trials involving CSM statisticians on Barrett’s Oesophagus, a precursor to oesophageal cancer that affects over 500,000 UK patients.

New software from CSM ensures every trial participant counts

CSM statistician Peter Dutton has developed a software package that optimises the design of single-arm clinical trials in rare diseases.

Reporting guidelines gain a global platform

Dr Iveta Simera of the EQUATOR UK Centre joined the Global Health Trials Programme's Writing and Publication Skills Month, explaining how reporting guidelines help to create excellent research papers that can make a difference.