Diagnostic tests (1) – sensitivity and specificity
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An important area of medical research concerns the use of tests to diagnose individuals with conditions. The simplest situation occurs when we use a diagnostic test to determine whether an individual has a particular condition or not; and thus we have a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. We need a method to be able to assess whether a new diagnostic test is accurate, and therefore likely to be useful in clinical practice. The accuracy of a diagnostic test is usually assessed by calculating the test’s sensitivity and specificity. Here, we investigate these two concepts. We will do so with the help of a hypothetical example, described below.
[1] D. Altman,et al. Statistics Notes: Diagnostic tests 1: sensitivity and specificity , 1994, BMJ.
[2] D. Shapiro,et al. The interpretation of diagnostic tests , 1999, Statistical methods in medical research.