Abstract
Use of medical tests should be guided by research evidence about the accuracy and utility of those tests in clinical care settings. Systematic reviews of the literature about medical tests must address applicability to real-world decision-making. Challenges for reviews include: (1) lack of clarity in key questions about the intended applicability of the review, (2) numerous studies in many populations and settings, (3) publications that provide too little information to assess applicability, (4) secular trends in prevalence and the spectrum of the condition for which the test is done, and (5) changes in the technology of the test itself. We describe principles for crafting reviews that meet these challenges and capture the key elements from the literature necessary to understand applicability.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S39-S46 |
| Journal | Journal of General Internal Medicine |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | SUPPL.1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2012 |
Funding
Disclaimer: This project was funded under contract no. 290-2007-10065-I and 290-2007-10066-I from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, US Department of Health and Human Services. Statements in the report should not be construed as endorsement by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the US Department of Health and Human Services.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | |
| Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality |
Keywords
- applicability
- diagnostic test
- prognostic test
- screening test
- systematic evidence review
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Internal Medicine