ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2014
Validity, reliability, and the questionable role of psychometrics in plastic surgery.
Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Abdominal Fascial Plication and the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Abdominoplasty Patients: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Annals of plastic surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Validity, reliability and precision of a novel virtual reality rod and disk test to assess visual dependence.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Reliability and Validity of Nutrient Assessment Applications for Canadian Endurance Athletes: MyFitnessPal and Cronometer.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Observational
- Changing Perspectives in Mastectomy: The Case for Nipple Preservation.Annals of plastic surgery · 2025Article
- Descriptive statistics for cardiothoracic surgeons: part 2 - the foundation of data interpretation.Indian journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery · 2025Article
- Statistical Basic Steps to Be Considered on Planning a Research.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2018Article
- Reply to the letter 'Linguistic validation of the "FACE-Q Rhinoplasty Module" in Italian'.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2017Article
- Outcome studies in plastic surgery: knowing the objectives and avoiding pitfalls.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2014Article
- Psychometrics: Essential for Valid, Reliable, and Responsive Measurement in the Development of Patient-reported Outcome Instruments in Plastic Surgery.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2014Article
- Reply: the limitations of psychometric outcome studies in plastic surgery.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
summaryThis report examines the meaning of validity and reliability and the role of psychometrics in plastic surgery. Study titles increasingly include the word "valid" to support the authors' claims. Studies by other investigators may be labeled "not validated." Validity simply refers to the ability of a device to measure what it intends to measure. Validity is not an intrinsic test property. It is a relative term most credibly assigned by the independent user. Similarly, the word "reliable" is subject to interpretation. In psychometrics, its meaning is synonymous with "reproducible." The definitions of valid and reliable are analogous to accuracy and precision. Reliability (both the reliability of the data and the consistency of measurements) is a prerequisite for validity. Outcome measures in plastic surgery are intended to be surveys, not tests. The role of psychometric modeling in plastic surgery is unclear, and this discipline introduces difficult jargon that can discourage investigators. Standard statistical tests suffice. The unambiguous term "reproducible" is preferred when discussing data consistency. Study design and methodology are essential considerations when assessing a study's validity.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.