Test Evaluation
In clinical medicine, tests are used for the diagnosis of
disease, to provide information that can be used to help
estimate the risk of certain disease-related events, and to
select treatment. Medical tests can be based on any
measureable biological characteristic or set of
characteristics. When new tests are introduced, the potential
benefit of testing must be weighed against the risks of the
test procedure and overtreatment due to possible misdiagnosis.
The research we conduct in test evaluation has the
potential to help clinicians to provide more tailored treatments
for individual patients (for example, through the use of risk
models to help guide treatment decisions), and to aid in the
selection of patients for clinical trials. Types of
studies used in test evaluation include:
- Studies to explore the potential clinical value of test
information
- Studies measuring the accuracy of tests
- Randomised controlled trials of tests
- Analyses of trial data to determine the clinical significance
and optimal use of tests for decisions about patient
management
- Validation of test performance in independent
populations
- Systematic reviews of test accuracy and integration with other
evidence to estimate benefits and harms
- Decision models and economic analyses
We are also involved in research to improve methods for
test evaluation. For example: when is it necessary to conduct
a clinical trial to evaluate the impact of a new
diagnostic test on patient outcomes, and when would a simpler
study of test accuracy be sufficient?
For more information about test evaluation please
contact SRHTA@ctc.usyd.edu.au.
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