Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using and interpreting diagnostic tests.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice
- Year:
- 2006
- Authors:
- McKenna, Shawn L B & Dohoo, Ian R
- Affiliation:
- Department of Health Management · Canada
Plain-English summary
Diagnostic tests are very important in veterinary medicine, helping vets understand what might be wrong with your pet. To use these tests effectively, it's crucial for veterinarians to know how to interpret the results correctly, which involves understanding concepts like how reliable a test is and how different tests can work together. The article emphasizes that the way test results are understood can change depending on the specific group of animals being tested and how common the illness is in that group. Overall, having a solid grasp of these principles helps ensure that pets receive the best possible care based on their test results.
Abstract
Diagnostic tests are invaluable to the practice of veterinary medicine. Using them correctly and interpreting the results appropriately depend on having a good understanding of the basic principles outlined in this article. Topics covered include sensitivity and specificity, agreement among tests, using multiple tests, and other issues related to the use and interpretation of diagnostic tests. The most important principle is recognition that the interpretation of test results varies across populations and requires an estimate of the prevalence of the infection (or disease) in the population being studied.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16517302/