The methodological sophistication of single subject designs has been discussed since their introduction by R.A. Fisher in 1945 [1]. This chapter will cover the major approaches used in evaluating and analyzing data from single subject designs, especially as applied to patient or clinical care, along with outcome research assessing the therapeutic effect of the interventionintervention (i.e., evidence based practice) [2]. Claude Bernard, the father of experimental medicine, provided the broad foundation for the application of the experimental method to practice-based research in medicine [3]. Furthermore, he proposed that the use of statistical techniques to interpret data should be cautioned. He held that statistics can only lead to probabilistic estimates, which in his time were contrary to the prevailing philosophy that scientific laws should possess deterministic certainty.
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Janosky, J.E., Leininger, S.L., Hoerger, M.P., Libkuman, T.M. (2009). Evaluation and Analysis of Data Generated from Single Subject Designs. In: Single Subject Designs in Biomedicine. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2444-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2444-2_4
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