A baseline in science (including
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
) is the initial conditions found by observation and measurement at the beginning of a survey or
clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...
or which is used for comparison with later data collected during or after the survey or trial to identify and measure changes, often with the intention of assessing the effects of a treatment or procedure.
In environmental science a baseline study is necessary to be able to accurately determine impact by monitoring the environment and comparing the changing situation with the initial conditions after development has occurred. In some cases, baseline information already be available from previous surveys, but it may be necessary to gather data in the field.
Example: If a patient with kidney failure (whose creatinine is usually 3.0 mg/dL) suddenly has a
creatinine
Creatinine (; ) is a breakdown product of creatine phosphate from muscle and protein metabolism. It is released at a constant rate by the body (depending on muscle mass).
Biological relevance
Serum creatinine (a blood measurement) is an import ...
of 5.0 mg/dL, then his creatinine is out of his normal. For that person with kidney failure, absolute normal no longer applies because he will never again be able to obtain an absolutely normal creatinine level (0.5–1.2 mg/dL) with kidneys that no longer function properly.
See also
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References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite web , url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baseline , title=baseline , website=www.merriam-webster.com , publisher=Merriam Webster , access-date=10 June 2022 ]
[{{cite web , url=https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/baseline , title=Dictionary of Cancer Terms: baseline , website=www.cancer.gov , publisher=National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health , access-date=10 June 2022 ]
[{{cite web , title=Unit 1 Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) , url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/cedep-demos/000_P507_EA_K3736-Demo/unit1/page_19.htm , website=www.soas.ac.uk , accessdate=1 June 2022 ]
External links
medterms.com Medical Dictionary
Medical terminology
Scientific terminology