Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy A guide to conducting systematic reviews of test accuracy In Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy, a team of distinguished researchers deliver the official guide to preparing and maintaining systematic reviews of test accuracy in healthcare. This first edition of the Handbook contains guidance on understanding test accuracy measures, search strategies and study selection, understanding meta-analysis and risk of bias and applicability assessments, presentation of findings, and drawing conclusions. Readers will also find: An introduction to test evaluation, including the purposes of medical testing, test accuracy and the impact of tests on patient outcomes Comprehensive explorations of the design of test accuracy studies, including discussions of reference standards and comparative test accuracy studies Considerations of the methods and presentation of systematic reviews of test accuracy Elaboration of study selection, data collection, and undertaking risk of bias and applicability assessments Perfect for medical practitioners and clinicians, Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy will also benefit professionals in epidemiology and students in related fields.

Healthcare providers, consumers, researchers and policy makers are inundated with unmanageable amounts of information, including evidence from healthcare research. It has become impossible for all to have the time and resources to find, appraise and interpret this evidence and incorporate it into healthcare decisions. Cochrane Reviews respond to this challenge by identifying, appraising and synthesizing research-based evidence and presenting it in a standardized format, published in The Cochrane Library (www.thecochranelibrary.com). The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains methodological guidance for the preparation and maintenance of Cochrane intervention reviews. Written in a clear and accessible format, it is the essential manual for all those preparing, maintaining and reading Cochrane reviews. Many of the principles and methods described here are appropriate for systematic reviews applied to other types of research and to systematic reviews of interventions undertaken by others. It is hoped therefore that this book will be invaluable to all those who want to understand the role of systematic reviews, critically appraise published reviews or perform reviews themselves. This title is also available as a mobile App from MedHand Mobile Libraries. Buy it now from Google Play or the MedHand Store.

"This Handbook has a long history. Its development started around 2002, when a number of us felt that the methodology for systematic reviews of test accuracy studies had sufficiently advanced to guide researchers. Since then, an incredible number of colleagues have contributed to its gestation. Many of these have become authors of chapters in this Handbook. Others are explicitly acknowledged in various chapters for their contribution. Yet many more have contributed, through various discussions in methods groups sessions, conferences and other meetings. While we worked on this Handbook progress did not halt, and in several steps of the review process more methodological advances were made, while best practices emerged in other areas"--

Evidence-based thinking in clinical medicine has impacted greatly on the physician's approach to clinical care. Evidence-Based Dermatology introduces and encourages the concept of evidence-based patient care in dermatology. Incorporating a text that is much more than merely the summary of trial data, the authors worked to explore disease mechanisms and treatments in greater depth and detail in order to provide more insight for the reader. In addition to promoting the understanding of the evidence-based philosophy, the authors have focused on some of the fundamentals in dermatology that need to be approached differently. Issues such as the interpretation of clinical research, disease-oriented evidence versus patient-care evidence, and the use of placebo are examined.

Systematic Reviews in Health Research Explore the cutting-edge of systematic reviews in healthcare In this Third Edition of the classic Systematic Reviews textbook, now titled Systematic Reviews in Health Research, a team of distinguished researchers deliver a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the rapidly evolving area of systematic reviews and meta-analysis. The book demonstrates why systematic reviews—when conducted properly—provide the highest quality evidence on clinical and public health interventions and shows how they contribute to inference in many other contexts. The new edition reflects the broad role of systematic reviews, including: Twelve new chapters, covering additional study designs, methods and software, for example, on genetic association studies, prediction models, prevalence studies, network and dose-response meta-analysis Thorough update of 15 chapters focusing on systematic reviews of interventions Access to a companion website offering supplementary materials and practical exercises (www.systematic-reviews3.org) A key text for health researchers, Systematic Reviews in Health Research is also an indispensable resource for practitioners, students, and instructors in the health sciences needing to understand research synthesis.

This book is the first exclusively devoted to the systematic synthesis of diagnostic test accuracy studies. It builds upon the major recent developments in reporting standards, search methods, and, in particular, statistical tools specifically devoted to diagnostic studies. In addition, it borrows extensively from the latest advances in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of intervention studies. After a section dedicated to methods for designing reviews, synthesizing evidence and appraising inconsistency in research, the application of these approaches is demonstrated in the context of case studies from various clinical disciplines. Diagnosis is central in medical decision-making, and in many other fields of human endeavor, such as education and psychology. The plurality of sources of evidence on diagnostic test accuracy poses a huge challenge for practitioners and researchers, as do the multiple dimensions of evidence validity, which include sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios. This book offers an invaluable resource for anyone aiming to improve decision-making processes in diagnosis, classification or risk prognostication, from epidemiologists to biostatisticians, radiologists, laboratory physicians and graduate students, as any physician interested in refining his methodological skills in clinical diagnosis.

A condensed, easier-to-understand student version of the acclaimed Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Tietz Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, 7th Edition uses a laboratory perspective in providing the clinical chemistry fundamentals you need to work in a real-world, clinical lab. Coverage ranges from laboratory principles to analytical techniques and instrumentation, analytes, pathophysiology, and more. New content keeps you current with the latest developments in molecular diagnostics. From highly respected clinical chemistry experts Carl Burtis and David Bruns, this textbook shows how to select and perform diagnostic lab tests, and accurately evaluate results. Authoritative, respected author team consists of two well-known experts in the clinical chemistry world. Coverage of analytical techniques and instrumentation includes optical techniques, electrochemistry, electrophoresis, chromatography, mass spectrometry, enzymology, immunochemical techniques, microchips, automation, and point of care testing. Learning objectives begin each chapter, providing measurable outcomes to achieve after completing the material. Key words are listed and defined at the beginning of each chapter, and bolded in the text. A glossary at the end of the book makes it quick and easy to look up definitions of key terms. More than 500 illustrations plus easy-to-read tables help you understand and remember key concepts. New chapters on molecular diagnostics include the principles of molecular biology, nucleic acid techniques and applications, and genomes and nucleic acid alterations, reflecting the changes in this rapidly evolving field. New content on clinical evaluation of methods, kidney function tests, and diabetes is added to this edition. NEW multiple-choice review questions at the end of each chapter allow you to measure your comprehension of the material. NEW case studies on the Evolve companion website use real-life scenarios to reinforce concepts.

Evidence-Based Practice: An Integrative Approach to Research, Administration, and Practice, Third Edition focuses on how research-based evidence drives scholarly practice.