Many diagnostic tests are not based on good evidence, researchers say

Many diagnostic tests and tests used to monitor disease are not supported by high quality evidence, according to a study published in BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal)

For the study, researchers examined how many common clinical tests used in one respiratory medicine clinic in the UK were based on high-quality evidence (evidence was graded according to a recognized quality scale).

“Only half of the common tests we identified were supported by level 1a-1c evidence,” they reported. “We have also shown that there is little evidence to support tests that were used to assess previously diagnosed chronic diseases. The use of therapeutic trials to predict long term efficacy from short term response was similarly unsupported.”

SOURCE: “Retrospective analysis of evidence base for tests used in diagnosis and monitoring of disease in respiratory medicine. BMJ, November 15, 2003