Abstract
Yerushalmy’s pioneering work1 on observer variability in the interpretation of chest roentgenograms initiated a still-expanding interest in the evaluation of the diagnostic process. He introduced the terms sensitivity and specificity as measures of the validity of diagnostic tests, and an entire methodology, including the concept of predictive value, has developed in response to the geometric growth in and reliance on diagnostic testing in clinical practice.
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References
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Additional Reading
Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University. How to read a clinical journal: II. To learn about a diagnostic test. Can Med Assoc J 1981; 124: 703 – 10.
Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University. Interpretation of diagnostic data (six parts). Can Med Assoc J 1983;129: 429-32, 559-64, 587, 705-10, 832-35, 947-54, 1093 – 9.
Diagnostic tests. In: Clinical Epidemiology and Bio-statistics. Kramer MS, ed. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1988: 201 – 19.
Feinstein AR. On the Sensitivity, Specificity and Discrimination of Diagnostic Tests, in Clinical Bio-statistics. St. Louis: CV Mosby, 1977; 214 – 26.
Galen RS, Gambino SR. Beyond Normality: The Predictive Value and Efficiency of Medical Diagnoses. New York: Wiley, 1975.
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Schechter MT, Sheps SB. Diagnostic testing revisited: pathways through uncertainty. Can Med Assoc J 1985; 132: 755 – 60.
Sheps SB, Schechter MT. The assessment of diagnostic tests. A survey of current medical research. JAMA 1984; 252: 2418 – 22.
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Weinstein MC, Fineberg HV. Clinical Decision Analysis. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1980.
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Schechter, M.T. (1991). Evaluation of the Diagnostic Process. In: Troidl, H., et al. Principles and Practice of Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0371-8_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0371-8_19
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