Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

Introduction to the Evaluation of Medical Tests

Introduction to the Evaluation of Medical Tests is a foundational training course designed for healthcare professionals, test developers, researchers, and decision-makers seeking to deepen their understanding of evidence-based use of medical tests. Whether you're developing diagnostic tools, commissioning services, or embarking on research, this course provides a clear and practical introduction to the principles and methods of test evaluation with a particular focus on evaluation of test accuracy. Through three interactive sessions, participants will explore the role of medical tests in clinical decision-making, learn how to design and interpret test accuracy studies, and gain hands-on experience with key metrics and quality assessment tools. No prior experience is required, and attendees will receive a certificate of attendance with CPD reflection. Delivered by experts from the internationally recognised Exeter Test Group, this course offers a unique opportunity to build essential skills in test evaluation within a supportive and research-informed environment.

Who is this for:

  • Healthcare professionals who want to have better understand of evidence-based use of medical tests
  • Test developers from academia and industry who are not experts in test evaluation (e.g. software engineers developing AI-based diagnostic algorithms)
  • PhD students and postgraduate researchers starting on a primary or secondary research project related to test evaluation
  • Commissioners and policy makers who need to use evidence and make decisions related to medical tests 

Aims of the course

To provide an overview of the evaluation of medical tests and introduce the main concepts and methods for evaluation of test accuracy.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, participants will:

  • understand the use of medical tests in clinical decision making
  • understand the different aspects of test evaluation and different types of evidence needed for policy and clinical decisions
  • understand test accuracy study designs and resultant test accuracy metrics
  • be able to critically appraise the methodological quality of test accuracy studies
  • have hands-on experience with generating test accuracy data, calculating and interpreting different test accuracy metrics

Programme

  • 3 one-and-half hour sessions
  • Session 1:
    • Types of medical tests and their role in clinical decision making
    • Hands-on exercise: impacts of testing
    • Impacts of testing and aspects of test evaluation
    • Policy context and legislation
  • Session 2:
    • Test accuracy study designs
    • Test accuracy measures
    • Hands-on exercise: ‘green fever’
  • Session 3:
    • Methodological quality of test accuracy studies
    • QUADAS-2 and QUADAS-2C
    • Hands-on exercise: quality assessment in small groups
    • Future needs

Prerequisites

No specific knowledge or experience is required.

Certificates

At the end of the course, we will provide you with a certificate of attendance, including the number of taught hours, learning outcomes and CPD reflection.

Why Exeter?

The Exeter Test Group is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for test evaluation. We have expertise in using research on tests to inform policy and methods of improving the understanding of research on tests as well as extensive experience in providing training on these topics.

Speakers