Per protocol analysis strikes again!
Folks, if you randomize but then don‘t analyze some of the people who got randomized (maybe because they didn’t adhere to instructions, maybe because they dropped out), randomization will no longer do all the heavy causal inference lifting.
This recent RCT of an "AI stethoscope" claims the technology "shows promise" for diagnosing cardiovascular conditions.
It does not.
It is a textbook example of the risks of conducting unprincipled 'per protocol analyses'. Once again, peer review at a major medical journal has failed.
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Julia M. Rohrer
Peter Tennant
AI-enabled stethoscopes show promise for improving diagnosis of cardiovascular conditions, UK trial finds.
Explore the research: spkl.io/63326AsjJ8
