When your test instrument provides
measurement near the true value given by gold
standard. You can say that your tool is accurate,
nearness to the true value.
Precision
 Reproducibility
 Degree to which repeated measurements
of the same variable give the same value
 Reduced by random errors (i.e.
biological variation, sampling errors,
measurements errors)
Another concept in measurement is precision.
Precision, also known as reproducibility.
When we compare it accuracy, in accuracy it
determines if the measurement is near true
value. But you have to take note that accuracy is
not the sole important in measurement but also it
should be consistent accurate. Because one
analysis can be accurate but the next might be
inaccurate. The consistency of being accurate is
called precision.
When you repeat the measurements in 2, 3 or
infinite times. We can call it precise when all
values are the same or near values, they should
be an agreement. Because when we measure one
time it is accurate then the 2nd measurement is
inaccurate (that shows a wide gap from the first
measurement, that) is called imprecision.
Meaning it is not precise, the repeated
measurements does not agree with one another.
Precision is reduced by random errors.
Compared to systematic errors, random errors
occurs by random. It is very difficult to identify.
Examples of random errors are biological
variation present in our subjects because there
are different physical variations per individuals.
It does not mean that we are all humans meaning
we also have the same biochemical or exact
process. There are some people who have a fast
metabolism while others have slow metabolism.
We have metabolism but it varies to some extent
So those variations can cause random errors.
That is just one of the many examples or causes
of random errors.
Another is sampling error, in which you have the
variation during the collection of sample as
oppose to the target population.
Measurement errors when you have
misclassification in measurements such as case
definitions. How can you say a person is
positive? Because you should meet certain
criteria to say that a person is positive to their
condition. If that case definition is not
established so that can cause misclassification of
you participants or those people being measured.
So those are the different examples of causes in
imprecision. Between systematic errors and
random errors, random errors is very difficult to
assert.
Is it possible that a measurement is accurate but
imprecise? Yes, because it could be accurate
(near true value) but the repeated measurements
does not agree (wide gap in repeated results).
Is it possible for a particular measuring
instrument to be inaccurate but precise? Yes
definitely, repeated measurements could agree
but all the repeated measurements are away from
true value.
Accuracy and precision are different entities. For
us to have a valid result we need to ensure that
our instrument is both accurate and precise so
that we can conclude that our results are valid as
acquired from the measurements we conduct.