A new conceptual approach to teaching the interpretation of clinical tests

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Abstract

Courses in clinical epidemiology usually include acquainting students with a single 2X2 table. All diagnostic test characteristics are explained using this table. This pedagogic approach may be misleading. A new didactic approach is hereby proposed, using two tables, each with specific analogous notations (uppercase and lowercase) and derived equations. This approach makes it easier to discuss the use of Bayes' Theorem and the two stages of analyses, i.e., using sensitivity to calculate predictive values. Two different types of false negative rates and false positive rates are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Statistics Education
Volume12
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2004

Keywords

  • Bayes' Theorem
  • Diagnosis
  • Predictive value

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Statistics and Probability
  • Education
  • Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty

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