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C-I-S: Physician Assistants

DIAG1-PA Understanding How Screening and Diagnostic Tests Work (PA003-DIAG1)


Description
The only tests in medicine that are 100% accurate are the "birth test" and the "death test." All other screening and diagnostic tests have some degree of likelihood of giving false positive and false negative results. This module explains how to understand when tests results may not be what they seem.
Content
  • Introduction
  • Welcome
  • Objectives
  • The Purposes of Testing
  • Example: Same Test, Different Uses
  • An Overview of Test Characteristics
  • The Technical vs. Clinical Precision of a Diagnostic Test
  • Definitions: Sensitivity and Specificity
  • The "Ups and Downs" of Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Using Test Characteristics: Using SnNout and SpPin
  • Positive and Negative Predictive Values
  • The Back and Forth of Predictive Values
  • Pulling It All Together: Likelihood Ratios
  • Interpreting Likelihood Ratios
  • Practice Calculations
  • Practice Question #1 Downs Syndrome
  • Practice Question 1 Answer
  • This is Not Intuitive
  • Practice Question #2
  • Setting Up the Problem
  • Evaluating the Validity of a Study of a New Test
  • Determining the Relevance of the Study
  • Determining the Validity of a Diagnostic Test
  • Question 1. Is The New Test Reasonable?
  • Question 2. Is the Reference (Gold) Standard Appropriate?
  • Question 3. Did All Participants Receive Both Tests?
  • Question 4. How Were the Test Results Interpreted?
  • Question 5. Were Participants Enrolled Randomly or Consecutively?
  • Question 6. Does the Population Studied Generalize to Your Practice?
  • Wrap-Up
  • Dave and Allen Unplugged: Looking at the Big Picture
  • A Moment for Reflection
  • Assessment
  • Assessment DIAG1
Completion rules
  • All units must be completed
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