title: Terminological problems around "accuracy" and "uncertainty".
abstract: The consistent description and treatment of metrological data in laboratory medicine are hampered by the lack of a systematic, universally accepted nomenclature and by variations in the conceptual understanding of uncertainty. The differences between the classical approach to a result as consisting of a true value plus errors and the new approach of a measured corrected value with uncertainty based on a detailed uncertainty budget are discussed. The various definitions of some relevant concepts, including "accuracy", the new concept "trueness", and "precision", are contrasted, and proposed modification are presented.
authors.affiliation: Copenhagen Hospital Corporation, Department of Standardization in Laboratory Medicine, H:S Kommunehospitalet, Denmark.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dybkaer
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D007753:Laboratories; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D009626:Terminology as Topic