Question on seasonal prescribing data

Extract from Statistical Questions in Evidence-based Medicine by Martin Bland and Janet Peacock.

We hope that the topic will be useful in own right, as well as giving a flavour of the book.

Question

Many prescribed drugs show a seasonal pattern in their use. The following graph shows an example of this and is taken from routinely collected Prescribing Analyses and Cost (PACT) data (Heywood 1991):

d

1. What kind of graph is this?
Check answer 1

2. What feature of the graph might make it misleading?
Check answer 2

3. What feature of the graph makes it difficult to see the pattern?
Check answer 3

4. How could the graph be improved?
Check answer 4

Reference:
Heywood, P. (1991) PACT level 3 -- a tool for audit. Practitioner 235, 450-1.

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