American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

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What does treatment selection bias lead to?

A fair comparison between test groups
A biased comparison due to selection methods
An accurate representation of data
A random assignment of participants

The correct answer is: A biased comparison due to selection methods

Treatment selection bias occurs when the process of assigning participants to different treatment groups is influenced by systematic differences between those groups that affect the outcome of interest. This bias can arise from various factors, such as the preferences of clinicians or patients, pre-existing characteristics of patients, or external influences, which may lead to one group receiving a treatment that is different from another group without being randomly assigned. When true randomization is not implemented, the inherent differences can skew the results and lead to a biased comparison between the groups being studied. This means that the outcomes observed may not accurately reflect the true effects of the treatments being evaluated, thus compromising the internal validity of a study. In research, acknowledging and controlling for treatment selection bias is crucial for obtaining reliable and valid conclusions regarding the effectiveness of a treatment.