[Unacceptable quality in certain sectors of medical research]

Errors have become so common in certain sectors of medical research that the situation has been described as a scandal. The criticism applies in particular to research based on measurements, where incorrect application of mathematical and statistical methods has become accepted as the correct approach. This has had unacceptable practical consequences, and the situation requires immediate steps to raise the level of quality. The author discusses some basic aspects of measurements in general, and serious errors associated with bone mineral measurements in particular.