Clinical Impact [Neurosurgery Wiki]

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===== Clinical Impact =====

**Clinical impact** refers to the **degree to which a study, intervention, or discovery influences medical practice, improves patient outcomes, or changes healthcare decision-making**.

==== Dimensions of Clinical Impact ====

  * **Patient Outcomes**
    > Does the study improve survival, quality of life, function, or symptom control?

  * **Practice Change**
    > Will it alter diagnostic protocols, treatment algorithms, or clinical workflows?

  * **Scalability and Applicability**
    > Can the findings be realistically implemented across diverse healthcare settings?

  * **Guideline Integration**
    > Is the evidence strong enough to be incorporated into national or international clinical guidelines?

  * **Health Economics**
    > Does it reduce costs, optimize resource allocation, or improve cost-effectiveness?

==== Indicators of Low Clinical Impact ====
  * Findings limited to highly specific or artificial settings
  * Lack of generalizability to real-world patients
  * No demonstrable benefit for patient care
  * Duplication of existing knowledge with no practical improvement

==== Summary ====
> **Clinical impact** distinguishes **statistically interesting studies** from those that **actually matter in patient care.**