Western Governors University (WGU) HCM3410 C431 Healthcare Research and Statistics Practice Exam

A potential outcome where the test result is statistically significant but not clinically relevant is best described by the concept of a lack of clinical or practical significance. This situation occurs when a study finds a statistically significant result, indicating that the observed effect is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone. However, this effect may be too small or not meaningful enough to be of real-world importance in a clinical or practical context.

For example, a new medication may statistically reduce symptoms in a population, but if the reduction is minuscule and does not improve patients' quality of life or health outcomes in a significant way, the result would lack clinical relevance. This distinction emphasizes that a statistically significant result doesn't always translate to a meaningful impact in patient care or treatment approaches.

Other options describe different concepts. Detection bias refers to systematic differences in how outcomes are determined for different groups, potentially affecting the validity of the results. Attribution bias involves errors in how causes are assigned to observed effects, leading to incorrect conclusions about relationships between variables. A one-tailed test is a statistical procedure used to test hypotheses in a specific direction but does not directly relate to the distinction between statistical and clinical significance. Therefore, the correct description of the situation where a test result is statistically significant but not clinically relevant is