RT Book, Section A1 Portney, Leslie G. A1 Watkins, Mary P. SR Print(0) ID 1138250103 T1 Principles of Measurement T2 Foundations of Clinical Research: Applications to Practice, 3e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780803646575 LK fadavispt.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1138250103 RD 2024/03/28 AB Scientists and clinicians use measurement as a way of understanding, evaluating and differentiating characteristics of people and objects. Measurement provides a mechanism for achieving a degree of precision in this understanding, so that we can describe physical or behavioral characteristics according to their quantity, degree, capacity or quality.1 We can document that a patient's shoulder can flex to 75 degrees, rather than say motion is "limited," or indicate that the air temperature is 95° F, rather than just "hot." This ability helps us communicate information in objective terms, giving us a common sense of "how much" or "how little" without ambiguous interpretation. Principles of measurement, therefore, are basic to our ability to describe phenomena, demonstrate change or relationship, and to communicate this information to others.