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Analysis of Statistical Data

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Statistics In the Smith, et al (2006) study, 26 patients were used. They all had COPD that was stable, and they all complained of coughing. Their age, mean FEV, and smoking history were all accounted and controlled for (Smith, et al, 2006). Methods used involved a cough challenge test, sound recordings of their cough day and night, and a questionnaire that involved their perceived quality of life (Smith, et al, 2006). The coughs were actually manually counted and then translated to coughs per hour. The cough seconds per hour was quantified based on the number of seconds in each recorded hour that contained a cough. The overall median time that was spent coughing was calculated to be 7.5 cough seconds for every hour, although this lessened considerably at night (Smith, et al, 2006). The subjective cough scores were taken into account and compared with the actual cough seconds per hour. It was found that the study participants often thought that they spent more time coughing than what the data indicated to b accurate (Smith, et al, 2006). By looking at the statistical data used (median cough seconds per hour), it can be seen that people with COPD do not (on average) spend that many seconds per hour coughing. However, because of the disruptive nature of coughing repeatedly throughout that hour, these individuals often think they spend much more time coughing than they actually do (Smith, et al, 2006). This was evidenced by the fact that a subjective measure of coughing

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