An intensive introductory course on diagnostic tests.
Welcome to the Diagnostic Research online course provided by NIHES-Erasmus MC at the Erasmus Winter Programme 2011.
This course is intended for two main groups: medical doctors who are doing a fellowship or their residency period, and have a particular interest in diagnostic test evaluation; and all those in health-services research, including epidemiologists, health economists, and other medical professionals.
Learning objectives
By the end of this online course, participants will understand the principles of interpreting diagnostic test results and evaluating diagnostic tests.
Course content
In this course we will address the principles of interpreting diagnostic test results and evaluating diagnostic tests. We will start by reviewing basic concepts such as sensitivity, specificity, predictive probabilities, likelihood ratios, Bayes theorem and ROC curves. Possible forms of bias that can influence studies evaluating diagnostic test performance will be discussed and we will examine a method to correct for verification bias. Methods for diagnostic meta-analysis will be presented. Decision analysis to model diagnostic decisions will be explained and practiced. Multivariable prediction rules will be a recurring theme throughout the course. You will learn how to determine the optimal positivity criterion of a test variable or prediction rule. Finally, we will discuss estimating target values for new emerging diagnostic technology and biomarkers and randomized controlled trial designs for evaluating diagnostic tests.
Reading
Hunink MGM, Glasziou PP, Siegel JE, Weeks JC, Pliskin JS, Elstein AS, Weinstein MC. Decision Making in Health and Medicine: Integrating Evidence and Values. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2001.
Assignments and examination
Online assignments are included in this course, and will provide the basis of the online examination. Time slots for reviewing them will be scheduled. Upon request, the online examinations will be graded and a certificate awarded.
Online registration
This online course is available in the NIHES Online webshop.
You will receive your logon details by e-mail within 24 hours of your online registration and receipt of your online payment.
About the Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences
The Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences (NIHES) is an alliance of leading Dutch universities and research institutes that collaborate on quantitative medical and health research. In our Master of Science programmes and short courses, we provide graduate and postgraduate research training in quantitative medicine and the health sciences. We have five core disciplines: Epidemiology, Clinical Epidemiology, Genetic Epidemiology, Public Health, and Medical Informatics, and four key partners: Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Amsterdam, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, and the Netherlands Cancer Institute.
For other NIHES courses in clinical research, please visit www.nihes.nl
