Diagnostic Testing course for GPs
This session looks at the critical appraisal of diagnostic studies and how to inform decision making with regards to the salient features of diagnostic test results.
This session was reviewed by Khyati Bakhai and last updated in December 2020.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Formulate the question you want to research from a patient consultation
- Conduct a search for related studies
- Appraise a diagnostic study in terms of its applicability and methodology
- Use sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios to interpret the results
- Assess how this information will help you in future consultations by using clinical test papers in practice
In this session you will look at a paper that has been generated on the use of a diagnostic test in primary care.
Carl Heneghan is Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and a practising GP. A clinical epidemiologist, he studies patients receiving care from clinicians, especially those with common problems, with the aim of improving the evidence base used in clinical practice.
His research interests include non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, and he currently chairs WHO guidelines on self-care and cardiovascular disease risk. He is also interested in the treatment of communicable diseases in primary care.
Professor Heneghan also investigates the evidence base for publication bias and drug and device regulation, and he is an international expert, advising governments, on the regulatory and evidence requirements for devices and drugs as well as evidence-based projects in the public interest. He is also a founder of the alltrials campaign.
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