27.02.2024 | Viewpoint
The Post Hoc Pitfall: Rethinking Sensitivity and Specificity in Clinical Practice
verfasst von:
José Nunes de Alencar Neto, MD, Leopoldo Santos-Neto, MD, PhD
Erschienen in:
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|
Ausgabe 8/2024
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Excerpt
In medical education, sensitivity and specificity are often emphasized as essential criteria for evaluating the efficacy of diagnostic tests.
1 While these measures are pivotal, their application in isolation, as posited by the Spin and Snout mnemonics
2, is not without limitations in the clinical environment. The article unfolds the shortcomings of this reliance, highlighting their post hoc nature and the disconnect this creates in the context of pre hoc, or forward-looking, clinical diagnostics. …