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Complexity and categorical analysis may improve the interpretation of agreement studies using continuous variables
Cristina Costa-Santos1, João Bernardes, Luís Antunes
1Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. csantos@med.up.pt
Rationale:
Complex clinical scenarios involving a high degree of uncertainty frequently lead to a poor agreement over diagnosis and management. However, inconsistent results can be found with the most widely used measures of agreement for continuous variables - the limits of agreement and the intraclass correlation coefficient.
Aims And Objectives:
We aim to improve the interpretation of agreement studies using continues variables.
Methods And Results:
Evaluation of agreement may be improved by complexity analysis and by categorization of variables, followed by the use of the proportions of agreement.
Conclusions:
The average never characterizes a complex phenomenon and the methods used to access agreement in continuous variables are based on the mean. For future agreement studies, involving complex continuous variables, we recommend a complexity and categorical analysis.
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