Terminal digit preference

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Terminal digit preference, terminal digit bias, or end-digit preference is a commonly-observed statistical phenomenon whereby humans recording numbers have a bias or preference for a specific final digit in a number. In medical science, this is often seen when recording measurements such as blood pressure by hand, where those taking measurements will round to the nearest 5 or 0. [1] The phenomenon has been blamed for misdiagnoses. [2] Terminal digit bias has been used to identify errors in research, [1] [3] [4] [5] and is one method used in the identification of scientific fraud. [6] Severe terminal digit bias has been found in datasets for scientific papers that were later retracted [7] [8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Thavarajah (1 December 2003). "Terminal digit bias in a specialty hypertension faculty practice". Nature . 17 (12): 819–822. doi: 10.1038/sj.jhh.1001625 . PMID   14704725.
  2. ↑ Nietert, Paul J.; Wessell, Andrea; Feifer, Chris; Ornstein, Steven (2006). "Effect of Terminal Digit Preference on Blood Pressure Measurement and Treatment in Primary Care". American Journal of Hypertension. 19 (2): 147–152. doi: 10.1016/j.amjhyper.2005.08.016 . PMID   16448884. S2CID   25597886.
  3. ↑ Hla, Khin (1986). "Observer Error in Systolic Blood Pressure Measurement in the Elderly" . Arch Intern Med. 146 (12): 2373. doi:10.1001/archinte.1986.00360240099017 . Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Hayes (2008). "Terminal digit preference occurs in pathology reporting irrespective of patient management implication" . Journal of Clinical Pathology . 61 (9): 1071–1072. doi:10.1136/jcp.2008.059543. PMID   18755731. S2CID   10737432 . Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  5. ↑ Lusignan (23 March 2004). "End-digit preference in blood pressure recordings of patients with ischaemic heart disease in primary care" . Nature. 18 (4): 261–265. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1001663. PMID   15037875. S2CID   430764 . Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  6. ↑ Lawrence, Jack (22 September 2021). "The lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are inherently unreliable". Nature. 27 (11): 1853–1854. doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01535-y . PMID   34552263.
  7. ↑ Brown, Nick. "Dr". More problematic articles from the Food and Brand Lab. Nick Brown. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Retraction Watch (19 September 2018). "JAMA journals retract six papers by food marketing researcher Brian Wansink". Retraction Watch. Retrieved 30 November 2021.


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