title: Quality assessment of comparative diagnostic accuracy studies: our experience using a modified version of the QUADAS-2 tool.
abstract: Assessing the quality of included studies is a vital step in undertaking a systematic review. The recently revised Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tool (QUADAS-2), which is the only validated quality assessment tool for diagnostic accuracy studies, does not include specific criteria for assessing comparative studies. As part of an assessment that included comparative diagnostic accuracy studies, we used a modified version of QUADAS-2 to assess study quality. We modified QUADAS-2 by duplicating questions relating to the index test, to assess the relevant potential sources of bias for both the index test and comparator test. We also added review-specific questions. We have presented our modified version of QUADAS-2 and outlined some key issues for consideration when assessing the quality of comparative diagnostic accuracy studies, to help guide other systematic reviewers conducting comparative diagnostic reviews. Until QUADAS is updated to incorporate assessment of comparative studies, QUADAS-2 can be used, although modification and careful thought is required. It is important to reflect upon whether aspects of study design and methodology favour one of the tests over another.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, England, YO10 5DD, UK. ros.wade@york.ac.uk
authors.forename: Ros
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.affiliation: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, England, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corbett
authors.affiliation: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, England, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eastwood
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003127:Colposcopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D058028:Research Report; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: QUADAS; diagnostic accuracy; quality assessment; systematic review