Frequency Of Test Use Research Articles

Factors Influencing the Selection of Standardized Tests for the Diagnosis of Specific Language Impairment

Standardized tests are one of the primary assessment tools used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to diagnose child language impairment. Numerous child language tests are commercially available; however, it is unknown what factors lead clinicians to select particular tests to use in clinical practice. This study investigated whether the quality of standardized tests, as measured by the test's psychometric properties, is related to how frequently the tests are used in clinical practice. A total of 364 SLPs completed a survey regarding how frequently they used specific standardized tests when diagnosing suspected specific language impairment (SLI). The test manuals for 55 tests were reviewed to determine whether test characteristics, such as test reliability, validity, and accuracy, correlated with the frequency of test use. The most frequently used standardized tests were omnibus measures (e.g., Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition [Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2003], Preschool Language Scale, Fourth Edition [Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002]) and single-word vocabulary measures (e.g., Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition [Dunn & Dunn, 2007]). Publication year was the only test characteristic that correlated significantly with the frequency of test use. The quality of a standardized test, as measured by the test's psychometric properties, does not appear to influence how frequently a test is used. These results highlight the need for increased evidence-based practice when diagnosing children with language impairment.

What is the value of routinely testing full blood count, electrolytes and urea, and pulmonary function tests before elective surgery in patients with no apparent clinical indication and in subgroups of patients with common comorbidities: a systematic review of the clinical and cost-effective literature

What is the value of routinely testing full blood count, electrolytes and urea, and pulmonary function tests before elective surgery in patients with no apparent clinical indication and in subgroups of patients with common comorbidities: a systematic review of the clinical and cost-effective literature

USE OF IMAGING TESTS FOR STAGING NEWLY DIAGNOSED PROSTATE CANCER: TRENDS FROM THE CAPSURE DATABASE

Purpose We describe secular trends in the use of imaging tests to stage prostate cancer, evaluate the impact of selected clinical factors on test use and compare physician actual use with recommendations in recently published literature. Materials and Methods This retrospective nonrandomized analysis of a longitudinal disease registry enrolled 3,557 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1989 and 1997 at 29 urology practices throughout the United States. Using logistic regression the odds of performing pelvic computerized tomography (CT), pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), bone scan and excretory urogram were determined annually from 1989 to 1997. The frequency of test use was compared with recommendations from a recent urology literature synopsis. Results Use of MRI, CT, bone scan and excretory urogram was unchanged from 1989 to 1997. Compared to recent findings in the clinical literature bone scan, CT and MRI were used too frequently in patients at low risk for metastatic disease. Conclusions Urologists may be overusing bone scan, CT and MRI to stage tumors in patients with a low risk of advanced prostate cancer. Further studies are needed to assess the relationship between individual staging strategies and clinical outcomes.

Use of imaging tests for staging newly diagnosed prostate cancer: trends from the CaPSURE database.

We describe secular trends in the use of imaging tests to stage prostate cancer, evaluate the impact of selected clinical factors on test use and compare physician actual use with recommendations in recently published literature. This retrospective nonrandomized analysis of a longitudinal disease registry enrolled 3,557 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1989 and 1997 at 29 urology practices throughout the United States. Using logistic regression the odds of performing pelvic computerized tomography (CT), pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), bone scan and excretory urogram were determined annually from 1989 to 1997. The frequency of test use was compared with recommendations from a recent urology literature synopsis. Use of MRI, CT, bone scan and excretory urogram was unchanged from 1989 to 1997. Compared to recent findings in the clinical literature bone scan, CT and MRI were used too frequently in patients at low risk for metastatic disease. Urologists may be overusing bone scan, CT and MRI to stage tumors in patients with a low risk of advanced prostate cancer. Further studies are needed to assess the relationship between individual staging strategies and clinical outcomes.

Postoperative Management of Cataract Surgery Patients-Reply

In reply Our survey was not designed to determine whether the postoperative care of cataract surgery patients is better or worse when delivered by optometrists rather than ophthalmologists. We asked ophthalmologists and optometrists about the number of dilated fundus examinations, slit-lamp examinations, tonometry tests, and refractions that they performed for their cataract surgery patients because the guidelines promulgated by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research specify the number of times that each of these tests should be performed. 1 These guidelines do not indicate the percentage of visits in which the tests should be performed. Because differences in the frequency of test use between ophthalmologists and optometrists may be partly explained by the fact that an ophthalmologist generally performs the first postoperative visit, the observed differences in test use between ophthalmologists and optometrists should not be the basis for making conclusions about