Analytical sensitivity/limit of detection |
Lowest concentration of the analyte that can be reliably detected by the assay. |
Analytical specificity |
Ability of the assay of not cross‐reacting with other pathogens. |
Clinical sensitivity |
Probability the test is positive when the infection is present. |
Clinical specificity |
Probability the test is negative when the infection is absent. |
Positive likelihood ratio |
Ratio between the probability of an infected person testing positive and the probability of an uninfected person testing positive. |
Negative likelihood ratio |
Ratio between the probability of an infected person testing negative and the probability of an uninfected person testing negative. |
Positive predictive value (PPV) |
Probability that the pathogen is present when the test result is positive. |
Negative predictive value (NPV) |
Probability that the pathogen is absent when the test result is negative. |
Repeatability |
Agreement between results of replicates of a sample both within and between runs of the same test in the same laboratory. |
Reproducibility |
Agreement between results of patient specimens assayed in different laboratories. |
Robustness |
Ability of the test to remain unaffected by minor variations that may occur during the testing process. |
Accuracy |
Overall probability that the patient is correctly diagnosed by the test. |