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

• 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?

• 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

Clinical impact distinguishes statistically interesting studies from those that actually matter in patient care.