BMJ  2006;332 (13 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7550.0-a

Sample size considerations are under-reported in studies of diagnostic accuracy

Studies on the accuracy of diagnostic tests rarely report considerations of sample size, and their sample sizes tend to be small. Bachmann and colleagues (p 1127) conducted a literature survey of studies on diagnostic accuracy in all issues of eight major medical journals published in 2002: of the 43 studies analysed, only two reported that they considered sample size. The number of participants in most studies was probably too small to analyse variability of measures of accuracy across patient subgroups, conclude the authors.

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Relevant Article

Sample sizes of studies on diagnostic accuracy: literature survey

Lucas M Bachmann, Milo A Puhan, Gerben ter Riet, and Patrick M Bossuyt
BMJ 2006 332: 1127-1129. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]