Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

In Search Of The Criterion Standard Test In Diagnostic Testing, Thanos D. Kantarelis, Demetri Kantarelis

Economics, Finance and International Business Department Faculty Works

Given a certain technology or procedure for diagnostic testing, different cutoff points produce different sensitivity and specificity rates. The cutoff point that generates highest sensitivity and specificity establishes the Criterion Standard Test (otherwise known as the Gold Standard Test). If, subject to good reason, a new testing technology or procedure emerges, the optimum cutoff point associated with it may generate higher sensitivity and specificity and thus a new improved Criterion Standard Test. Various cutoff selection methodologies have been proposed, all based on Euclidean geometry, involving the so-called Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Our purpose in this paper is to recommend …