Diagnostics test software#

Testing for electrolytes in the blood, such as sodium, potassium, creatinine, and urea.Microbiological culturing, which determines the presence or absence of microbes in a sample from the body, and usually targeted at detecting pathogenic bacteria.In vitro diagnostics which test a sample of tissue or bodily fluids, such as:.Administering a diagnostic agent and measuring the body's response, as in the gluten challenge test, contraction stress test, bronchial challenge test, oral food challenge, or the ACTH stimulation test.

In vivo diagnostics which test in the body, such as:.

These tests often involve administration of a contrast agent.

Radiologic tests, in which, for example, x-rays are used to form an image of a body target.

Tests performed in a physical examination.

Questions asked when taking an individual's medical history.

Patient observations, which may be photographed or recorded.

Most test methods can be classified into one of the following broad groups: Opportunistic screening is a process by which eligible individuals are able to access a screening test, without the presence of a formal register where invitations are sent to the eligible population.Some medical tests are used to monitor the progress of, or response to medical treatment. assessment of smoking status during primary care visits or chlamydia screening to men and women aged under 25 years). breast cancer screening) or opportunistically (e.g. Screening activities can be organised in formal screening programmes (as described above, e.g.

Diagnostics test software#

The King's Fund software for 'patients at risk of re- hospitalisation' (PARR) use patterns in routinely collected data to forecast which individuals are at higher risk of emergency hospital admission in the forthcoming year ( Opportunistic screening.

Using population based data such as the Index of Multiple Deprivation to target interventions at disadvantaged populations ( ).

registered GP patients over 50 years of age with a BMI>30 who may not be on the register of people at risk for coronary heart disease)

Can be used to identify 'missed' risk groups (e.g.

The purpose is to identify at-risk individuals and offer them screening and treatment if necessary. sexual partner ascertainment in syphilis outbreaks household/work contacts in food-borne outbreaks).

Case finding is a key strategy in communicable disease outbreak management (e.g.

Examples of case-finding strategies include: Note the similarities to screening - both seek to risk stratify the population for further investigation. It involves actively searching systematically for at risk people, rather than waiting for them to present with symptoms or signs of active disease. Higher costs associated with diagnostic test maybe justified to establish diagnosis.Ĭase finding is a strategy for targeting resources at individuals or groups who are suspected to be at risk for a particular disease.

More weight given to accuracy and precision than to patient acceptabilityĮssentially indicates suspicion of disease (often used in combination with other risk factors) that warrants confirmationĬheap, benefits should justify the costs since large numbers of people will need to be screened to identify a small number of potential cases Generally chosen towards high sensitivity not to miss potential diseaseĬhosen towards high specificity (true negatives). Maybe invasive, expensive but justifiable as necessary to establish diagnosis Symptomatic individuals to establish diagnosis, or asymptomatic individuals with a positive screening test Large numbers of asymptomatic, but potentially at risk individuals