15th February 2024

Null and alternate hypotheses

Statistical tests are designed to detect any differences between two comparators. Hence, it is convention for us to hypothesise that there will be no differences between the two comparators, null hypothesis. This hypothesis is then tested using statistical tests.

The null hypothesis states no difference between two comparators – e.g., the treatment and control arm.

An alternate hypothesis states that there is a difference between the two comparators. This hypothesis can go both ways, e.g., the treatment arm has a better outcome than the control arm, or the treatment arm has a worse outcome than the control arm. This hypothesis will be accepted if the null hypothesis is rejected.