title: Using the GRADE system in diagnostic strategy: the case of antiphospholipid syndrome.
abstract: Diagnostic strategy studies commonly focus on the accuracy of tests in diagnosing, and grading this body of evidence is a challenge in itself because (1) standard tools for grading evidence were designed for questions about treatment rather than diagnostic testing; and (2) the clinical usefulness of a diagnostic strategy depends on multiple links in a chain of evidence connecting the performance of a test to changes in clinical outcomes. The application of the GRADE approach requires a shift in clinicians' thinking to clearly recognize that, whatever their accuracy, diagnostic tests are valuable only if they result in improved outcomes for patients.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Sao Carlos, Brazil mirhelen@terra.com.br.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mendes de Abreu
authors.affiliation: UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: CHU de Nancy, Division of Vascular Medicine, Institut Lorrain du Coeur et des Vaisseaux, Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wahl
mesh_terms: D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans
keywords: GRADE; antiphospholipid syndrome; diagnostic strategy