Canadian Medical Guide > Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment > Investigative Techniques > Epidemiologic Methods > Statistics > Probability Terms and Definitions

Probability

Medical Definition:	The study of chance processes or the relative frequency characterizing a chance process.
Guide Notes:	IM for probability as a statist concept; NIM as coord for relative frequency of occur of specific dis, physiol response, etc.; see note under RISK & RISK FACTORS; coord NIM with specific disease or other concept (IM)

Probability Categories.

	Bayes Theorem - A theorem in probability theory named for Thomas Bayes (1702-1761). In epidemiology, it is used to obtain the probability of disease in a group of people with some characteristic on the basis of the overall rate of that disease and of the likelihoods of that characteristic in healthy and diseased individuals. The most familiar application is in clinical decision analysis where it is used for estimating the probability of a particular diagnosis given the appearance of some symptoms or test result.
	Markov Chains - A stochastic process such that the conditional probability distribution for a state at any future instant, given the present state, is unaffected by any additional knowledge of the past history of the system.
	Odds Ratio - The ratio of two odds. The exposure-odds ratio for case control data is the ratio of the odds in favor of exposure among cases to the odds in favor of exposure among noncases. The disease-odds ratio for a cohort or cross section is the ratio of the odds in favor of disease among the exposed to the odds in favor of disease among the unexposed. The prevalence-odds ratio refers to an odds ratio derived cross-sectionally from studies of prevalent cases.
	Risk - The probability that an event will occur. It encompasses a variety of measures of the probability of a generally unfavorable outcome.
	Uncertainty - The condition in which reasonable knowledge regarding risks, benefits, or the future is not available.

Probability Medical Definitions and Terms

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