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Number needed to treat

How many people need to receive a treatment for one more of them to benefit than with the comparison.

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Definition

The number needed to treat (NNT) is one divided by the absolute risk difference. A smaller NNT means a more effective treatment. The same idea applied to harms is the number needed to harm.

The common mistake

Definitions here are general. They do not say what any profession may do in any state; that is set by each state’s law. Back to the full glossary

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