TE
TechEcho
Home24h TopNewestBestAskShowJobs
GitHubTwitter
Home

TechEcho

A tech news platform built with Next.js, providing global tech news and discussions.

GitHubTwitter

Home

HomeNewestBestAskShowJobs

Resources

HackerNews APIOriginal HackerNewsNext.js

© 2025 TechEcho. All rights reserved.

Medicine and Statistics Don't Mix

5 pointsby getpabout 17 years ago

2 comments

telabout 17 years ago
This is a remarkably common fallacy when interpreting false positives, false negatives, or sensitivity/specificity data. It's a shame Bayesian statistics isn't more commonly known as it's a good way to avoid the misconception.<p>Simply put: extraordinary claims demand <i>extraordinary</i> support.<p>If the prevalence of PGD is very low, you need a great deal of weak tests showing positive results or a hypothetical <i>extremely</i> sensitive and specific test showing positive results. Both routes are difficult and expensive.
lpgauthabout 17 years ago
really?