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DavidWW
Posts: 5057
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:47 pm

Re: errors

Post by DavidWW » Sat Jan 07, 2006 1:18 pm

sporran wrote:Hello all,


Gina's posting was an excellent example of "understand the process, understand the problems", which I mention regularly.
Music to my ears :!: :D
sporran wrote:It was drummed into me at university that scientific research is only as good as the accuracy of the measurements. A couple of years in a statistics department also taught me the perils in the interpretation of data, whether measured or gathered through surveys.

Regards,

John
In fact, a veritable symphony !! :wink: , based on very similar experiences.

Some time in the last week I picked up on most of an interview on Radio 4 with an expert in NHS and health statistics who was pointing out the myriad ways in which the recently published hospital performance tables were largely based on dodgy and questionable data, and open to mis-interpretation in many ways.

Some of these faults and problems I ws already aware of, but there were many others which I hadn't previously appreciated............

David

StewL
Posts: 1396
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:59 am
Location: Perth Western Australia

Post by StewL » Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:31 am

David and John

Both your comments brought back memories of my university studies (two degrees). Having to carry out the usual compulsory research units, I had an interesting result from my first survey :lol: Whilst I had an excellent response in regard to those who returned the suvey forms (85% :lol: ) A colleague pointed out that if I had used a different criteria for the information I received, it could easily have been translated to a negative result :oops: So I got what I was looking for, but it easily could have been translated to the opposite :lol:
Stewie

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