Letter to the editor: Beyond the odds ratios: Why risk ratios offer clearer clinical insight in comparative surgical meta-analyses
Topic overview
This letter clarifies the critical distinction between odds ratios and risk ratios in surgical meta-analyses, emphasizing that risk ratios provide more intuitive clinical interpretation. When outcomes are common, odds ratios can substantially overestimate effect sizes compared to risk ratios, potentially misleading clinical decision-making.
Key takeaways
- Odds ratios (OR) and risk ratios (RR) diverge substantially when outcomes are common, with ORs overestimating effect size.
- Risk ratios compare event probabilities directly, making them more clinically interpretable than odds ratios.
- When event rates are high, misinterpreting an OR as an RR can exaggerate the apparent treatment effect.
- For rare outcomes, OR and RR approximate each other; for common outcomes, prefer RR for clearer clinical communication.
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How to cite: GlobalCastMD. Letter to the editor: Beyond the odds ratios: Why risk ratios offer clearer clinical insight in comparative surgical meta-analyses. GlobalCastMD Medical Library. 2025-08-29. https://library.globalcastmd.com/article/10918
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