BMJ  2008;336:683 (29 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39525.550764.3A

Letters

Evaluating diagnostic tests

Selecting diagnostic tests for evaluation

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Walley outlines some of the problems encountered in evaluating laboratory diagnostic tests.¹ One of the great difficulties faced by organisations such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is to find a means to prioritise diagnostic technologies for rapid evaluation. I have recently developed the following prioritisation criteria for use by organisations.

The disease

1. Can the disease be clearly defined?
   
2. Is the condition an important problem in terms of prevalence and incidence or morbidity and mortality?
   
3. Is it a policy priority?
   
4. Does the condition present a diagnostic problem (inaccuracy or inefficiency), and would it be useful to have better diagnostic tools?
   
5. Is there evidence of current variation in diagnostic practice (or inappropriate variations in treatment, morbidity, or mortality resulting from diagnostic variability)?
   
6. Could the diagnostic processing pathway for the disease be improved by obtaining information in a less risky fashion or in a manner more acceptable to patients?
   

The diagnostic technology (history and examination, physiological measurement, imaging, endoscopy, pathology)

1. Is . . . [Full text of this article]

The impact of the diagnostic technology

¹ National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, London WC1V 6NA

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Relevant Article

Evaluating laboratory diagnostic tests

Tom Walley
BMJ 2008 336: 569-570. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]