ASKING A FOCUSED QUESTION:

DIAGNOSIS QUESTIONS

Diagnosis questions are usually about the degree to which a particular test is reliable or clinically useful, generally asked in order to decide whether a patient would get enough benefit from the test, on average, to justify having it done. Most articles on diagnosis compare the results of the diagnostic test being studied to the results of another standard test that is regarded as being a definitive "gold standard" test.

EXAMPLE

You may be comparing, for example, tests that are used to diagnose Alzheimer's Disease.

In diagnosis questions, these kinds of questions arise:

  1. What are the results?
  2. Are the results valid?
  3. Will the results help me in patient care?
  4. Are the results applicable to my patient?
  5. Will the results change my management?
  6. Will patients be better off as a result of the test?
  7. Is target disorder dangerous if left undiagnosed?
  8. Is test risk acceptable?
  9. Does effective treatment exist?
  10. Will information from test lead to change of management beneficial to patient?