Abstract
The TDR Diagnostics Evaluation Expert Panel
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We wish to thank Izabela Suder-Dayao for excellent secretarial support, and Robert Ridley and Giorgio Roscigno for support and guidance.
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Glossary
- Accuracy
-
The percentage of correct results obtained by the test under evaluation compared with the results of a reference or 'gold standard' test. Usually expressed as the number of correct results divided by the total number of results, multiplied by 100.
- Blinding
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Interpreting a test result without knowledge of a patient's condition or previous test results.
- Confidence interval
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The confidence interval quantifies the uncertainty in measurement; usually reported as the 95% confidence interval, the range that we can be 95% certain covers the true value.
- Negative predictive value (NPV)
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The probability that a negative result accurately indicates the absence of infection.
- Positive predictive value (PPV)
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The probability that a positive result accurately indicates the presence of infection.
- Prevalence
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The proportion of a given population with an infection at a given time.
- Proficiency panel
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A collection of six or more mock or true specimens with positive and negative results for a particular test, used to ascertain the proficiency of the technologist in performing the test.
- Quality assurance (QA)
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An ongoing process of monitoring a system for reproducibility or reliability of results, with which corrective action can be instituted if standards are not met.
- Reference standard
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The best available approximation of a true result, generally indicating a test method that is currently accepted as reasonably, but not necessarily, 100% accurate. It is used as the reference method for assessing the performance characteristics of another test method.
- Reproducibility
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A measure of the extent to which replicate analyses using identical procedures agree with each other.
- Sensitivity
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The probability (percentage) that patients with the infection (determined by the result of the reference or 'gold standard' test) will have a positive result using the test under evaluation.
- Specificity
-
The probability (percentage) that patients without the infection (determined by the result of the reference or 'gold standard' test) will have a negative result using the test under evaluation.
- Tests
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Any method for obtaining additional information regarding a patient's health status.
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Banoo, S., Bell, D., Bossuyt, P. et al. Evaluation of diagnostic tests for infectious diseases: general principles. Nat Rev Microbiol 4 (Suppl 9), S21–S31 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1523
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1523
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