Sensitivity and Specificity

Listen to the discussion about sensitivity and specificity in diagnostic tests. Sensitivity is the ability of a test to correctly identify people who have the disease, while specificity is the ability of a test to correctly identify people who do not have the disease. A high sensitivity rules in the disease, while a high specificity rules out the disease. It is possible to conduct systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the sensitivity and specificity of different diagnostic tests. : In this episode, we cover systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Systematic reviews are a type of research review that uses a systematic and repeatable approach to answer a specific question. They are a high level of evidence and are useful in examining the literature for a particular topic. Meta-analysis, which will be covered in more detail in next week's episode, involves pooling data from multiple studies to find patterns or trends. Then we dive into the different strengths and weaknesses of systematic reviews.