General rules on result type

by | Jun 1, 2020 | NPU Concept model, Result type

General rules on result type

Synonyms Value set type, data type, scale of measurement, value set category, value set classification
Definition Classification of a value set with one or more common characteristics
Description

A result type defines (for clinically purposes):

  • how a result may be compared with another result of same measurand
  • how results may be subjected for mathematically or statistically operations

A result type is attributed to one kind-of-property (see exceptions in Details)
Result types
  1. Differential scale
  2. Logarithmic scale
  3. Narrative description
  4. Nominal description
  5. Ordinal scale
  6. Rational scale
Reference
  1. Stevens SS. On the Theory of Scales of Measurement. Science. 1946;103(2684):677-680. doi:10.1126/science.103.2684.677
  2. Ferard G, Dybkaer R, Fuentes-Arderiu X. Compendium of Terminology and Nomenclature of Properties in Clinical Laboratory Sciences : Recommendations 2016. 1 ed: Royal Society of Chemistry; 2016. 182 p.
Subjects Notes Examples
Two or more result types attributted to one kind-of-property

 

In some cases there are examinations with a nature that cannot be described with the current vocabulary. For some kinds-of-property, there can be two result types assigned to one NPU code. This occurs primarily for arbitrary kinds-of-quantity.

 Value sets for NPU codes with e.g. ‘arbitrary number fraction’ can be on an ordinal or ratio scale.