How Can Incomplete or Inconsistent Information Affect Epidemiological Research?

The presence of incomplete or inconsistent information can have several negative impacts on epidemiological research:

Bias: Incomplete data can introduce bias, affecting the generalizability of the study results.
Validity: Inconsistent information can undermine the internal and external validity of the research.
Statistical Power: Missing data can reduce the statistical power of a study, making it harder to detect true associations.
Confounding: Incomplete information on potential confounders can result in incorrect conclusions about the relationships between variables.