[Comparative evaluation of equipment: the problem of false evidence. Remarks on the paper by P. März: In electric nerve stimulation is it possible to judge the status of the nerve from the intensity of muscle contraction?].
In a recent comparative evaluation of electric nerve stimulators, data were published for the device of a certain manufacturer that disqualified this stimulator for the claimed application. For this reason, an extensive follow-up examination has been executed. The results of this follow-up examination convincingly show that the data of the stimulator are significantly better than published in the comparative study. It was not possible with this follow-up examination, however, to supply an explanation for the totally erroneous results in the first study. If after all any trustworthiness can be given to that comparative study, it can be emphasized that the examined stimulator compares favourably with those devices that had been declared as especially qualified in the comparative study. In this context, the problem is discussed that is related with the potential of influencing and manipulation as part of comparative evaluation studies.
Hutten
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Institut für Elektro- und Biomedizinische Technik, TU Graz.
D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation*
Vergleichende Gerätebewertung: Das Problem falscher Aussagen. Vergleichende Gerätebewertung: Das problem falscher Aussagen. Bemerkungen zur Arbeit von P. März: Kann bei der elektrischen Nervenstimulation aus der Intensität der Muskelkontraktion auf den Abstand zum Nerven geschlossen werden?