1.2 Sinusitis and antibiotics: Researchers studying the effect of antibiotic treatment for acute sinusitis compared to symptomatic treatments randomly assigned adults diagnosed with acute sinusitis to one of two groups: treatment or control. Study participants received either a 10-day course of amoxicillin (an antibiotic) or a placebo similar in appearance and taste. The placebo consisted of symptomatic treatments such as acetaminophen, nasal decongestants, etc. At the end of the 10-day period, patients were asked if they experienced improvements in symptoms. The distribution of responses is summarized below.
(please round answers to within one hundredth of a percent)
| Self-reported improvement in symptoms: Yes | Self-reported improvement in symptoms: No | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | 67 | 20 | 87 |
| Control | 66 | 15 | 81 |
| Total | 133 | 35 | 168 |
b) What percent experienced improvement in symptoms in the control group? %
c) In which group did a higher percentage of patients experience improvement in symptoms? Explain your reasoning.
d) Do the data provide convincing evidence that there is a real symptom reduction for those patients in the treatment group? Or do you think that the observed difference might just be due to chance?