Understanding su rvival analysis

Most physicians, even those with some formal training in statistics, have no background in the methods of analyzing survival data. Yet these methods have seen increasing use in medical journals in recent years and interpreting them correctly is necessary in order to adequately reach conclusions that could affect clinical practice. In what follows, we present a brief introduction to the methods of survival analysis that have grown very popular in the medd literature. The main focus will be on fostering an understanding of the circumstances wherein these methods are appropriately used and in the proper interpretation of the results.