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Causal interpretation of correlational studies – Analysis of medical news on the website of the official journal for German physicians

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  • Susanne Buhse
  • Anne Christin Rahn
  • Merle Bock
  • Ingrid Mühlhauser

Abstract

Background: Media frequently draws inappropriate causal statements from observational studies. We analyzed the reporting of study results in the Medical News section of the German medical journal Deutsches Ärzteblatt (DÄ). Methods: Study design: Retrospective quantitative content analysis of randomly selected news reports and related original journal articles and press releases. Results: One-thousand eighty-seven medical news reports were published between April 2015 and May 2016. The final random sample comprised 176 news reports and 100 related press releases. Conclusion: Reporting of medical news in the DÄ medical journal is misleading. Most headlines that imply causal associations were not based on RCTs. Medical journalists should follow standards of reporting scientific study results.

Suggested Citation

  • Susanne Buhse & Anne Christin Rahn & Merle Bock & Ingrid Mühlhauser, 2018. "Causal interpretation of correlational studies – Analysis of medical news on the website of the official journal for German physicians," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(5), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0196833
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196833
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