Doppler-device versus Pinard stethoscope: A Bayesian approach
Even if one insists on following the statistical proof from RCTs above, a Bayesian approach is preferred by many clinicians and statisticians.19 Well-held persuasive prior beliefs/knowledge will move little in the light of weak or equivocal new evidence. Bayes’ theorem 19 states,
The initial odds for a hypothesis x The likelihood ratio (from new evidence) = The final odds for the hypothesis
If the initial odds for preferring a Doppler-device are quite high, multiplying by the likelihood ratio of “1” from (invalid) evidence of equivalence would not change those high initial odds at all.