Estimation of Sample Size in Biomedical Research: A Quick Guide for Postgraduate Medical Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21276/kvm29879Keywords:
sample size, postgraduate thesis, dissertation, medical studentAbstract
Calculation of sample size becomes a challenging task for many of the postgraduate medical students. Given the time and resource constraints, it often becomes quite overwhelming for the resident doctors to come up with a feasible sample size obtained scientifically and with a statistical validity, given that for most medical students, the postgraduate thesis work is the stepping stone to the dynamic world of medical research. While some propose very high numbers and end up collecting data from a much smaller sample, thus compromising on the study power, some state too small a sample size to draw any valid conclusion. This article is meant to serve as a quick guide for the postgraduate medical student and budding biomedical researchers to understand ways to calculate sample size.
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