Clinically Adjudicated Reference Standards for Evaluation of Infectious Diseases Diagnostics

Authors

Robin Patel
Ephraim L Tsalik
Scott Evans
Vance G Fowler
Sarah B Doernberg
Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group

Publication Date

3-4-2023

Journal

Clinical Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Lack of a gold standard can present a challenge for evaluation of diagnostic test accuracy of some infectious diseases tests, particularly when the test's accuracy potentially exceeds that of its predecessors. This approach may measure agreement with an imperfect reference, rather than correctness, because the right answer is unknown. Solutions consist of multitest comparators, including those that involve a test under evaluation if multiple new tests are being evaluated together, using latent class modeling, and clinically adjudicated reference standards. Clinically adjudicated reference standards may be considered as comparator methods when no predefined test or composite of tests is sufficiently accurate; they emulate clinical practice in that multiple data pieces are clinically assessed together.

Keywords

Humans, Diagnostic Tests, Routine, Communicable Diseases, Reference Standards, Sensitivity and Specificity, clinically adjusted reference standards

Comments

PMID: 36262037