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Statistical Errors in Clinical Studies

Statistical Errors in Clinical Studies

“A common error is to assume that the sensitivity and specificity of a test equates to diagnostic accuracy. The whole point of a diagnostic test is to use it to make a diagnosis, so we need to know the probability that the test will give the correct diagnosis. The sensitivity and specificity do not give us this information. Instead we must approach the data from the direction of the test results, using predictive values.”