Determining the Optimal Sequence of Multiple Tests.

ABSTRACT: The use of multiple tests can improve medical decision making by balancing the benefits of correctly treating ill patients and avoiding unnecessary treatment for healthy individuals against the potential harms of missed diagnoses, inappropriate treatments, and the costs and risks associated with testing. We quantify the incremental net benefit (INB) of single and multiple tests by accounting for a patient's pre-test probability of disease and the associated benefits, harms, and cost of treatment and testing. We decompose the INB into two components: one that captures the value of information provided by the test, independent of the cost and possible harm of testing, and another that accounts for test costs and harm. Next, we examine conjunctive, disjunctive, and majority aggregation functi

SUBMITTER: Bottcher L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12533563 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature