Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28867844›Full record

ArticleBulletin of the World Health Organization2017

A guide to aid the selection of diagnostic tests.

Cara S Kosack, Anne-Laure Page, Paul R Klatser

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 173 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
173citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

173 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  13. A Systematic Review of Pain Drawings for Perioperative Patient Management.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026
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  14. Ultrasensitive Enzyme-Free Detection of Proteins on Magnetic Beads.Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2026
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113 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Cara S KosackMédecins Sans Frontières, Plantage Middenlaan 14, 1018 DD Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Anne-Laure PageEpicentre, Paris, France.
Paul R KlatserAcademic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In recent years, a wide range of diagnostic tests has become available for use in resource-constrained settings. Accordingly, a huge number of guidelines, performance evaluations and implementation reports have been produced. However, this wealth of information is unstructured and of uneven quality, which has made it difficult for end-users, such as clinics, laboratories and health ministries, to determine which test would be best for improving clinical care and patient outcomes in a specific context. This paper outlines a six-step guide to the selection and implementation of in vitro diagnostic tests based on Médecins Sans Frontières' practical experience: (i) define the test's purpose; (ii) review the market; (iii) ascertain regulatory approval; (iv) determine the test's diagnostic accuracy under ideal conditions; (v) determine the test's diagnostic accuracy in clinical practice; and (vi) monitor the test's performance in routine use. Gaps in the information needed to complete these six steps and gaps in regulatory systems are highlighted. Finally, ways of improving the quality of diagnostic tests are suggested, such as establishing a model list of essential diagnostics, establishing a repository of information on the design of diagnostic studies and improving quality control and postmarketing surveillance.

Indexed as

Communicable DiseasesDiagnostic Tests, RoutineHumansPractice Guidelines as TopicReagent Kits, DiagnosticUnited StatesUnited States Food and Drug AdministrationWorld Health OrganizationReagent Kits, Diagnostic

Identifiers

PMID28867844
PMCPMC5578377

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.