Research reporting and evidence of effectiveness: Why 'no difference' matters

Comments on an article by K. Horn et al. (see record 2008-05980-002), who studied the reach, implementation fidelity, and acceptability of a brief motivational tobacco intervention for teens who had treatment in a hospital emergency department. The current author suggests, that although no statistically significant differences were reported for smoking-related outcomes, the research is a valuable contribution not because the desired outcomes of the intervention were achieved, but because of the authors' thorough description of their meticulous research procedures and detailed reporting of the practical problems they encountered. Horn et al should be commended for a well-executed evaluation of a novel smoking cessation intervention in an emergency department, and the editors of AJCC should be acknowledged for publishing it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)