Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32389127›Full record

SynthesisBMC medicine2020

Target Product Profiles for medical tests: a systematic review of current methods.

Paola Cocco, Anam Ayaz-Shah, Michael Paul Messenger, Robert Michael West, Bethany Shinkins

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
36citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
7.6field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
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

36 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Review
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  12. Mass of components and material distribution in lateral flow assay kits.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2025
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Why should academia care about the Target Product Profile?Journal of translational medicine · 2024
    Article
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  20. Review
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

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Paola CoccoTest Evaluation Group, Academic Unit of Health Economics, Leeds Institute for Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. umpc@leeds.ac.uk.
Anam Ayaz-ShahAcademic Unit of Primary Care, Leeds Institute for Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Michael Paul Messenger.
Robert Michael WestLeeds Institute for Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Bethany ShinkinsTest Evaluation Group, Academic Unit of Health Economics, Leeds Institute for Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
University of Leeds · GBNIHR Leeds In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative · GB

Funding

Cancer Research UK C8640/ A23385Medical Research Council MR/N029976/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA Target Product Profile (TPP) outlines the necessary characteristics of an innovative product to address an unmet clinical need. TPPs could be used to better guide manufacturers in the development of 'fit for purpose' tests, thus increasing the likelihood that novel tests will progress from bench to bedside. However, there is currently no guidance on how to produce a TPP specifically for medical tests.

methodsA systematic review was conducted to summarise the methods currently used to develop TPPs for medical tests, the sources used to inform these recommendations and the test characteristics for which targets are made. Database and website searches were conducted in November 2018. TPPs written in English for any medical test were included. Based on an existing framework, test characteristics were clustered into commonly recognised themes.

resultsForty-four TPPs were identified, all of which focused on diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. Three core decision-making phases for developing TPPs were identified: scoping, drafting and consensus-building. Consultations with experts and the literature mostly informed the scoping and drafting of TPPs. All TPPs provided information on unmet clinical need and desirable analytical performance, and the majority specified clinical validity characteristics. Few TPPs described specifications for clinical utility, and none included cost-effectiveness.

conclusionsWe have identified a commonly used framework that could be beneficial for anyone interested in drafting a TPP for a medical test. Currently, key outcomes such as utility and cost-effectiveness are largely overlooked within TPPs though and we foresee this as an area for further improvement.

Indexed as

Diagnostic Tests, RoutineHumansDiagnosticMedical testQuality by designTarget Product ProfileTest characteristicTPP

Identifiers

PMID32389127
PMCPMC7212678
OpenAlexW3023297341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.