The STARD Initiative and the Reporting of Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy

The STARD Initiative and the Reporting of Studies of Diagnostic AccuracyWith the current public attention on medical tests (1 ), it is appropriate that we publish (2 ) this month, simultaneously with other journals, 1 the first result of an international project to improve the reporting of studies of the diagnostic accuracy of medical tests.The report (2 ) on Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) reflects a multidisciplinary effort, 3 years in the making, that involved close collaboration of scores of clinicians, clinical investigators, clinical chemists, radiologists, clinical microbiologists, methodologists, and others.I review here some of the evidence that studies of diagnostic accuracy of medical tests need improving and I suggest that the STARD report (2 ) is a step in the right direction.