The Art and Science of Medical Decision-making: Interpreting Test Results

Diagnostic tests are not perfect and, therefore, some test results can be expected to be in error. Diagnostic test evaluation predicts what errors might occur among diseased and non-diseased populations; diagnostic test interpretation predicts how the errors might be distributed among test positive or negative populations (e.g. is the test result likely to be a true-positive or a false-positive?). Failure to understand the concepts of diagnostic interpretation have led many practitioners down preventable paths of incorrect diagnoses and inappropriate treatment decisions. Combining clinical judgment with probabilistic thinking yields greater diagnostic efficiency. (1 CE credit)