Evidence-based medicine: evaluating diagnostic tests.
Physicians have at their disposal a great number of established diagnostic tests, and new ones continue to be developed that are potentially helpful in diagnosing and establishing the prognosis of disease. Many of these tests were either inadequately evaluated or were found, on more careful scrutiny, to be less helpful than first believed. To ensure optimal patient care as well as appropriate use of health care resources, practitioners must be adept in understanding the true efficacy of diagnostic tests that they ask patients to undergo. They must be able to understand the basic language applied in evaluating tests and be able to determine if and when tests are applicable. (J Am Assoc Gynecol Laparosc 6(1):105-112, 1999)
Pritts
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EA
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Yale UniversitySchool of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
Duleba
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Olive
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DL
D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic