Domain | Patient selection | Index test | Reference standard | Flow and timing |
Description | Describe methods of patient selection: describe included patients (prior testing, presentation, intended use of index test and setting) | Describe the index test and how it was conducted and interpreted | Describe the reference standard and how it was conducted and interpreted | Describe any patients who did not receive the index test(s) and/or reference standard or who were excluded from the 2 x 2 table (refer to flow diagram): describe the time interval and any interventions between index test(s) and reference standard |
Signalling questions (yes, no, unclear) | Was a consecutive or random sample of patients enrolled? Was a case‐control design avoided? Did the study avoid inappropriate exclusions? |
Were the index test results interpreted without knowledge of the results of the reference standard? If a threshold was used, was it prespecified? |
Is the reference standard likely to correctly classify the target condition? Were the reference standard results interpreted without knowledge of the results of the index test? |
Was there an appropriate interval between index test(s) and reference standard? Did all patients receive the same reference standard? Were all patients included in the analysis? |
Risk of bias (high, low, unclear) |
Could the selection of patients have introduced bias? | Could the conduct or interpretation of the index test have introduced bias? | Could the reference standard, its conduct, or its interpretation have introduced bias? | Could the patient flow have introduced bias? |
Concerns regarding applicability (high, low, unclear) |
Are there concerns that the included patients do not match the review question? | Are there concerns that the index test, its conduct, or its interpretation differ from the review question? | Are there concerns that the target condition as defined by the reference standard does not match the review question? | — |