Sufficient similarity

Sufficient Similarity

Sufficient similarity (pronunciation: suh-fish-uhnt sim-uh-lar-uh-tee) is a term used in medical research and statistical analysis to denote the degree of likeness or resemblance between two or more medical conditions, treatment methods, or patient groups.

Etymology

The term is derived from the English words 'sufficient', meaning enough or adequate, and 'similarity', meaning likeness or resemblance. It is used to indicate that the degree of likeness between two or more entities is enough to make a certain conclusion or assumption.

Related Terms

Clinical Trial: A research investigation involving human subjects that is designed to answer specific questions about the safety and efficacy of a medical product or intervention.
Control Group: In a clinical trial, the group of subjects that do not receive the experimental treatment. The results from the control group are compared to those of the experimental group to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.
Placebo Effect: A phenomenon in which a patient experiences a perceived improvement in condition due to the belief that they are receiving treatment, even if the treatment is inactive or a 'dummy'.
Randomized Controlled Trial: A type of scientific experiment that aims to reduce bias when testing a new treatment. Participants are randomly allocated to either the group receiving the treatment under investigation or to a group receiving standard treatment or placebo treatment.
Statistical Significance: The likelihood that a result or relationship is caused by something other than mere random chance. Statistical hypothesis testing is traditionally employed to determine if a result is statistically significant or not.