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The Measurement Plan

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Epidemiology: Principles and Practical Guidelines

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Abstract

In epidemiological research measurements are carried out most importantly to document data on outcomes, exposures, and third factors, but measurements related to procedural or methodological considerations should not be ignored. At the planning stage, it is crucial to conduct a step-by-step critical analysis of the measurement processes that will be employed in the study and to consider how errors at each step can be avoided. By carefully documenting this process for each planned measurement, one assembles a measurement and standardization protocol that conforms with general epidemiological principles by respecting participants and by enhancing reproducibility, completeness, unbiasedness, and precision. We briefly review planning and standardization issues according to type of attribute. Finally, special sections are devoted to quality of life and cost measurements in order to highlight the increasing importance of these in practice.

If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you are doing.

W. Edwards Deming

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for International Health, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Jan Van den Broeck M.D., Ph.D. & Bjarne Robberstad M.Sc., Ph.D.

  2. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jonathan R. Brestoff MPH, Nora Becker & Michael C. Hoaglin

  3. Department of Health Care Management, Wharton School of Business and Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Ari Friedman M.Sc.

Authors
  1. Jan Van den Broeck M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Jonathan R. Brestoff MPH
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  3. Ari Friedman M.Sc.
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  4. Nora Becker
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  5. Michael C. Hoaglin
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  6. Bjarne Robberstad M.Sc., Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jan Van den Broeck M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Jan Van den Broeck

  2. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Jonathan R Brestoff

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Van den Broeck, J., Brestoff, J.R., Friedman, A., Becker, N., Hoaglin, M.C., Robberstad, B. (2013). The Measurement Plan. In: Van den Broeck, J., Brestoff, J. (eds) Epidemiology: Principles and Practical Guidelines. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5989-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5989-3_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-5988-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-5989-3

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