Performance Assessment of Binary Output Examinations in Medical Laboratories

Content

MedLabBin trn 408x356The determination of clinical sensitivity and specificity of tests for binary disease detection is critical to ensure these tests are sufficiently reliable.

Clinical sensitivity (SP), also known as the True Positive Rate, describes the probability of correctly detecting a disease case. Clinical Specificity (SS), also known as the True Negative Rate, expresses the ability to correctly identify the absence of a disease.

Since the accuracy of the determined SP and SS depends on the number of tested known disease cases, it is important to determine the confidence intervals for estimates of the performance parameter. These confidence intervals are subsequently used to decide if the actual performance and its quantification method are adequate.

This leaflet provides an overview of what is involved in these crucial assessments.

Availability

The second edition is currently available in English.

* Dates are the date of addition to this website

Translation

Translation into other languages is encouraged for members of Eurachem. Other offers of translation should be directed to the Eurachem Secretariat for permission. The Eurachem policy on maintenance and development of Eurachem guidance, available on the Policies page, gives further information on translation.