Examining Diagnostic Tests: An Evidence-Based Perspective

Evidence-based reproductive health care: using evidence about diagnostic tests.

Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care 2003: 29(4) Clinical scenario At lunch a clinical colleague asks for your opinion concerning the care that her 55-year-old mother-in-law has recently received from a general practitioner (GP) for a recent single episode of postmenopausal bleeding (PMB). The GP who told her that the pelvic examination was normal and arranged for her to have...

Pancreatic resectional surgery: an evidence-based perspective.

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer carries a very dismal prognosis, with the 5-year survival rate being the lowest of all types of cancer. Surgical resection offers the only hope for cure in these patients. Pancreatic resectional surgery is technically demanding, and while mortality has decreased in centers of excellence, the morbidity remains significant. Numerous controversies exist regarding v...

Educating Managers From an Evidence-Based Perspective

Evidence-based management (EBM) means managerial decisions and organizational practices informed by the best available scientific evidence. In this essay we describe the core features of educational processes promoting EBM. These include mastering behavioral principles where the science is clear and developing procedural knowledge based on practice, feedback, and reflection. We also identify ke...

Toward evidence-based assessment for coverage and reimbursement of laboratory-based diagnostic and genetic tests.

Despite the pervasiveness of laboratory tests and their importance to medicine, evidence for their appropriate use often is very limited. In this article, we argue for a fundamental restructuring of the process by which laboratory tests are evaluated and reimbursed. We present an approach that would promote more evidence- based appraisals for laboratory tests. In addition, we urge that coverage...

Assessing the Validity of Diagnostic Tests