title: Reference values: are they useful?
abstract: To answer the question of whether reference values are useful in clinical decision-making, this article addresses the following major controversies: (1) Are reference subjects representative of the group from which they are selected? (2) To what extent should the process of collecting reference values be standardized and controlled? (3) Can a single distribution of reference values be used in an meaningful way in the process of clinical decision-making.
mesh_terms: D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003710:Demography; D006801:Humans; D012015:Reference Standards; D012016:Reference Values