Table 1 QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Study) tool results

1.

Was the spectrum of patients representative of the patients who will receive the test in practice?

Y

U

2.

Were selection criteria clearly described?

Y

N

3.

Is the reference standard likely to correctly classify the target condition?

Y

Y

4.

Is the time period between reference standard and index test short enough to the reasonably sure that the target condition did not change between the two tests?

Y

U

5.

Did the whole sample or a random selection of the sample, receive verification using a reference standard of diagnosis?

Y

Y

6.

Did patients receive the same reference standard regardless of the index result?

Y

Y

7.

Was the reference standard independent of the index (i.e. The index test did not form part of the reference standard)?

Y

Y

8.

Was the execution of the index described in sufficient detail to permit replication of the test?

Y

Y

9.

Was the execution of the reference standard described in sufficient detail to permit its replication?

Y

U

10.

Were the index test results interpreted without knowledge of the result of the reference standard?

Y

Y

11.

Were the reference standard results interpreted without knowledge of the results of the index test?

Y

Y

12.

Were the same clinical data available when test results were interpreted as would be available when the test is used in practice?

Y

Y

13.

Were uninterpretable/intermediate test results reported?

Y

Y

14.

Were withdrawals from the study explained?

Y

Y