Frontiers in Pediatrics (May 2022)
Comparing Descriptive Statistics for Retrospective Studies From One-per-Minute and One-per-Second Data
Abstract
BackgroundLarge amounts of data are collected in neonatal intensive care units, which could be used for research. It is unclear whether these data, usually sampled at a lower frequency, are sufficient for retrospective studies. We investigated what to expect when using one-per-minute data for descriptive statistics.MethodsOne-per-second inspiratory oxygen and saturation were processed to one-per-minute data and compared, on average, standard deviation, target range time, hypoxia, days of supplemental oxygen, and missing signal.ResultsOutcomes calculated from data recordings (one-per-minute = 92, one-per-second = 92) showed very little to no difference. Sub analyses of recordings under 100 and 200 h showed no difference.ConclusionIn our study, descriptive statistics of one-per-minute data were comparable to one-per-second and could be used for retrospective analyses. Comparable routinely collected one-per-minute data could be used to develop algorithms or find associations, retrospectively.
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