This workshop is given on behalf of the Screening and Diagnostic Tests Methods Group and the Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy Working Group.

Workshop type: Training.

Objective: To enable, by addressing principles in a practical way, participants to: (i) summarise the results of individual diagnostic test accuracy studies graphically and numerically; (ii) understand the rationale for summarising data using summary ROC curves to account for explicit and implicit differences in threshold between studies; and (iii) be able to perform basic exploration of sources of heterogeneity.

Summary:
This workshop will present a framework for meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies as will be implemented within Cochrane reviews of diagnostic test accuracy. We will start with an overview of the various statistics to express the diagnostic performance of an index test, such as sensitivity, specificit y, likelihood ratios and the diagnostic odds ratio. Then methods for graphically summarising results from original studies will be presented: forest plots of sensitivity and specificity (including 95% confidence intervals) and a plot of sensitivity-specificity pairs in a ROC-space. Basic methods of estimating a summary ROC-curve will be presented as they are implemented in RevMan 5, and the rationale for using these methods will be explained.  The workshop will conclude with an overview of possible sources of heterogeneity and methods for assessing heterogeneity.

Intended audience: Review authors interested in conducting diagnostic test accuracy systematic reviews.

Technical level expected of participants: Basic.