On some clinically useful measures of the accuracy of diagnostic tests

EditorialsSeptember 1, 1998On some clinically useful measures of the accuracy of diagnostic testsDavid L. Sackett, MD, Sharon Straus, MDDavid L. Sackett, MDUniversity of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK (D.L.S., S.S.)University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK (D.L.S., S.S.), Sharon Straus, MDUniversity of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK (D.L.S., S.S.)University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK (D.L.S., S.S.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/ACPJC-1998-129-2-A17 SectionsAboutFull Text ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In the ACP Journal Club abstracts that describe diagnostic tests, we provide numbers that summarize the tests' accuracy. Several years ago, a summary of guides to help readers critically appraise articles about diagnostic tests was published in ACP Journal Club (1). In this editorial, we review the derivation and meaning of those numbers and introduce the latest additions of terms to our Glossary.We focus here on a way of thinking about diagnosis that takes into account both components of evidence-based medicine: your individual clinical expertise and the best external evidence. The former frequently determines your assessment of diagnostic possibilities ...References1 Guyatt GH. Readers' guide for articles evaluating diagnostic tests: what ACP Journal Club does for you and what you must do yourself [Editorial]. ACP J Club. 1991 Sep-Oct;115:A16. (Revised). Philadelphia: American College of Physicians; 1998.) Google Scholar2 Sackett DL, Richardson WS, Rosenberg W, Haynes RB, eds. Evidence-Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach EBM. London: Churchill Livingstone; 1997. Google Scholar3 Guyatt GH, Oxman AD, Ali M, et al. Laboratory diagnosis of iron-deficiency anaemia: an overview. J Gen Intern Med. 1992;7:145-53. Google Scholar4 Pauker SG, Kassirer JP. The threshold approach to clinical decision making. N Engl J Med. 1980;302:1109-17. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK (D.L.S., S.S.)University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK (D.L.S., S.S.) Previousarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails September 1, 1998Volume 129, Issue 2Page: A17KeywordsAnemiaBone marrowConfidence intervalsDatabasesEvidence based medicineFallsFerritinForecastingIron deficiencyIron deficiency anemiaLaboratory testsLongitudinal studiesPatientsSerum ferritin levelsSigns and symptomsSpecificityStaining ePublished: 9 March 2020 Issue Published: September 1, 1998 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1998 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.Loading ...