American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

Question: 1 / 650

Misclassification bias results from what kind of error?

A misrepresentation of ordinal data

An individual being placed in the wrong category

Misclassification bias occurs when individuals in a study are incorrectly categorized into different groups based on the exposure or outcome being measured. This can happen when a person is placed in the wrong category due to errors in data collection or labeling. For instance, if individuals with a certain condition are misclassified as not having the condition, it can skew the results of the research or analysis, leading to inaccurate conclusions about the relationship being studied.

Understanding misclassification bias is crucial, as it can significantly affect the validity of study findings. It can lead not only to imbalances in the groups being compared but also to misguided recommendations if the true nature of the association between exposure and outcome remains hidden due to faulty categorization. This phenomenon underlines the importance of accurate data management and classification methods in research design and analysis.

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A systematic sampling error

A polling error from selection methods

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