Evidence Base of Clinical Diagnosis

The Evidence Base of Clinical Diagnosis was published by BMJ Books in 2002, and was based on a popular series published in the British Medical Journal. At that time it was unique in addressing evidence-based issues in the field of clinical diagnosis, and was enthusiastically received by the clinical research community for its thorough and insightful analysis of research methods in diagnosis. The information on effectiveness of clinical diagnosis tools was even more diffuse and sparse than now, and so the book became a point of reference for evidence-based diagnosis. The main basis for the text was discussion of diagnostic research tools and what evidence was available for their efficacy. The case for a new edition The first edition is now over 3 years old Since publication much more information has been made available, including more clinically relevant data for problem solving and ordering diagnostic tests. The evidence-based health care community has turned the spotlight on diagnosis and it has become one of the hot topics in ebm. A new, more clinically focused edition of this well established book will be timely. Special features of the new edition 'ˆ— Two new chapters will be added: one covering the recently published STARD guidelines (Standards for Reporting on Accuracy Research on Diagnosis); the second on the analysis of diagnostic data. 'ˆ— Chapter 2 will discuss the connection between diagnostic research and study design 'ˆ— Chapter 6 will focus on evaluating the external validity of diagnostic research data. 'ˆ— Chapter 8 will present the latest developments in diagnosis from the Cochrane Collaboration. 'ˆ— Chapter 9 will discuss expert systems for diagnostic decision support. 'ˆ— Chapters 10 and 11 will be updated and extended, discussing the practical implications of scientific knowledge for clinical problem solving and test ordering.Knottnerus, J. Andre is the author of 'Evidence Base of Clinical Diagnosis' with ISBN 9781405157872 and ISBN 1405157879.