Define the test’s role
A test used for triage, confirmation or monitoring faces different populations and consequences. Specify the target condition, the decision supported, the threshold and the reference standard. A study of obvious cases and healthy controls may not represent practice.
Examine who received verification
STARD recommendations help identify how a study reported selection, testing, indeterminate results and participant flow. Check whether everyone received comparable reference assessment and whether interpretation of one test was influenced by knowledge of the other.
Reconstruct the table and context
A table of true and false positive and negative results supports basic calculations. Also record prevalence, confidence intervals, excluded results and the costs of errors. Before transferring a finding, seek validation in services with patients and procedures similar to the intended use.
Interpretation limits
Good reporting under STARD does not certify the absence of bias.
Diagnostic accuracy alone does not demonstrate that using a test improves health or decisions.
Original references
Continue exploring
Cancer atlas
Research questions
Select tools by method, population and purpose. A thematic connection does not validate use in every case.
Educational content for framing research. Consult the original document, study population and methodology before interpreting a conclusion. Methodology