MEDDICINE: IT MAY BE PRECISE BUT IS IT ACCURATE?

摘要

SEMANTICALLY, THE TERMS "PRECISION" and "accuracy" are closely linked. The definition of "precision" incorporates the concept of "accuracy." Science, however, has effectively differentiated these concepts: "precision," i.e., clustered around a specific value, invokes a local (iccuracy; "accuracy," i.e., how far that local value may be from the true value, invokes a global accuracy. In archery, how tightly the arrows cluster around a single point reflects their precision, but how far that point is from the bullseye reflects their accuracy. In medicine, ideally, we would like to have both, but is that achievable, given the complexity of both the underlying biology and healthcare ecosystem?