title: Assessing the recommendations for the use of diagnostic imaging in clinical practice guidelines.
abstract: Accuracy is the primary evidence assessed when diagnostic imaging is evaluated in clinical practice guidelines. However, recommendations to not use diagnostic imaging are usually based not on its accuracy but on its lack of utility, that is its low Level 4 efficacy. If there is good clinical evidence that diagnostic imaging will not be useful in a clinical situation, the recommendation not to use it should be strong even if the evidence for its accuracy is of poor quality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. mreed@hsc.mb.ca
authors.forename: Martin H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D019937:Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic