Course Description:

This course provides exhaustive knowledge in the principles and practice of Diagnostic tests to comprehend reliability and validity of a new diagnostic test, the biases and the challenges in designing a study and, critically evaluate a diagnostic study article. This course will include lectures and comprise a series of practical.

Course Objectives:

• Correctly interpret diagnostic information (sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, ROCs, accuracy) from different data sources.
  
• Combine diagnostic information from multiple tests, when tests are independent and not independent.
  
• Expose common myths about diagnostic tests.
  
• Accurately interpret an ROC curve and identify best cutpoints.
  
• Recognize when verification bias (work-up bias) is a threat to study validity and calculate the magnitude of error from such bias.
  
• Assess magnitude and direction of error when the gold standard is imperfect.
  
• Generate likelihood ratios from logistic regression models, and understand relationship between odds ratios and likelihood ratios.
  
• Critique and revise published articles on diagnostic tests; optimize presentation of results.
  

Who should apply?

This course is tailored to medical, allied health professionals, nonmedical faculty, and/or researchers actively involved in diagnostic test research (validity and reliability studies), or teaching institution or in furthering their knowledge and skills in methodology.

Benefits:

• Each participant will be randomly allocated to a group and the group will be assigned a research question and given background materials to develop a protocol following STARD guidelines. Each group’s protocol development process will be facilitated by a mentor. Each group will be asked to present their protocol orally to the rest of the groups and faculty for discussion.
  
• Course kit will be provided.
• Dx-test Software
• The participants will be Journal articles critique with the help of mentor.
  

Course Fee:  Rs 6,500/ per person
(Course kit, Dx-test Software, Lunch, snacks and tea will be provided)

Course Fee should be paid in full by September 14, 2016. Payment can be made by Demand Draft (DD) in favour of “Christian Medical College Vellore Association Account “, payable at Vellore.

Accommodation:

Participants will have to bear their own expenses for travel, boarding and lodging. The Organizers will provide Lunch and Snacks. However, the organizers may arrange basic accommodation with A/C facility in the college campus on request. Only limited accommodation is available on campus and priority will be given to the female participants.

Dx test (Diagnostic test software)

Dx test software Developed and validated with STATA and MedCalc software by Biostatistics Resource and Training Centre (BRTC) team,  will be provided free of cost for course participants.

nMaster (Sample Size calculation software)

The cost of the nMaster software is fixed for Rs.2500/- for Academic / Government institutions and Rs.5000/- for Commercial.  However, those who would participate in this workshop from the Academic / Government institutions, a concession of Rs.1000/- will be offered to buy this nMaster software (price - Rs.1500/-).

Venue

Biostatistics Resource and Training Centre (BRTC),
Department of Biostatistics,
Christian Medical College,
Bagayam,
Vellore - 632 002.

The number of participants: Limited to 45 admissions & this will be purely on first come first served basis.