Gold standard

A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. Three types can be distinguished: specie, exchange, and bullion.

Gold standard (test)

In medicine and statistics, gold standard test usually refers to a diagnostic test or benchmark that is the best available under reasonable conditions. Other times, gold standard is used to refer to the most accurate test possible without restrictions.

Both meanings are different because for example, in medicine, dealing with conditions that would require an autopsy to have a perfect diagnosis, the gold standard test would be the best one that keeps the patient alive instead of the autopsy.

The phrase is therefore ambiguous and its meaning should be deduced from the context in which it appears. Part of the ambiguity stems from its usage in economics, where "gold" does not imply "best" but is merely one of many possible standards.

In medicine

"Gold standard" can refer to the criteria by which scientific evidence is evaluated. For example, in resuscitation research, the "gold standard" test of a medication or procedure is whether or not it leads to an increase in the number of neurologically intact survivors that walk out of the hospital. Other types of medical research might regard a significant decrease in 30-day mortality as the gold standard.

Gold standard (disambiguation)

A gold standard is monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is equal in value to and exchangeable for a specified amount of gold.

Gold standard may also refer to:

... or any other "widely accepted standard."