Question

    Which of the following methods is most commonly used for

    predicting patient outcomes in healthcare settings, such as diagnosing diseases or assessing recovery chances?
    A Linear regression Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    B Logistic regression Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    C Time series analysis Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    D Support Vector Machines (SVM) Correct Answer Incorrect Answer
    E Decision Trees Correct Answer Incorrect Answer

    Solution

    Explanation: Logistic regression is a statistical method that models the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables using a logistic function. In healthcare, it is particularly valuable because it is used for binary classification tasks , such as predicting whether a patient has a certain disease (yes/no) or if a recovery will occur (yes/no). This is ideal for healthcare applications like diagnosis prediction or determining whether patients will need intensive care. The output of logistic regression is a probability score between 0 and 1, which makes it highly interpretable and suitable for binary outcomes, like disease diagnosis or treatment response. Option A: Linear regression is used for predicting continuous outcomes (e.g., price, temperature), not binary outcomes like disease presence. Option C: Time series analysis is typically used for forecasting data over time and would not directly be applied to binary outcome predictions like a diagnosis. Option D: SVM is a robust classifier, but logistic regression is often preferred for binary outcomes in medical fields due to its simplicity and interpretability. Option E: Decision Trees could also be used for classification, but logistic regression generally gives better probability outputs that are more interpretable in healthcare predictions.

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