Abstract
Diagnostic tests have intrinsic characteristics such as sensitivity, specificity, overall accuracy and likelihood ratios which define their operational performance. It is not uncommon to find in the literature that test value and clinical utility are defined based exclusively on those characteristics. This paper introduces several arguments aimed at prompting a reflection regarding the characteristics that define the true value of diagnostic tests in clinical practice. It concludes with the view that the value of each diagnostic test needs to be established in accordance with the circumstances in which it is used, taking into account extrinsic characteristics such as in whom it is used, when, where and by who.
Publisher
Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiologia y Reanimacion (SCARE)
Reference46 articles.
1. Bolboacă SD. Medical Diagnostic Tests: A review of test anatomy, phases, and statistical treatment of data. Comput Math Methods Med. 2019;1891569. doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1891569
2. Schünemann HJ, Mustafá RA, Brozek J, Steingart KR, Leeflang M, Murad MH, et al. GRADE guidelines: 21 part 1. Study design, risk of bias, and indirectness in rating the certainty across a body of evidence for test accuracy. J Clin Epidemiol. 2020;122:129-41. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2019.12.020
3. Šimundić AM. Measures of diagnostic accuracy: Basic definitions. EJIFCC. 2009;19(4):203-11.
4. Shreffler JHM. Diagnostic testing accuracy: Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios. StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 [cited 16 Jan 2024]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557491/
5. Wong HB. Measures of diagnostic accuracy: Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV. Proceed Singapore Healthc. 2001;20(4):316-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/201010581102000411