Instructor's Note: Using Test Information I

This instructor's note supports the teaching pack on Using Test Information I, in which students review the four conditional probabilities describing the performance of a dichotomous test, review the relationship between sensitivity and specificity, calculate likelihood ratios to describe test performance, and conduct probability revision using the odds-LR form of Bayes. In addition to the instructor's note, materials include videos, companion slides, a glossary, an annotated bibliography, and sample exercises.

Learning Objectives

1. Calculate four conditional probabilities describing the performance of a dichotomous test, and explain the relationship between the TPR (sensitivity), FNR, TNR (specificity), and FPR.
2. Define a likelihood ratio (LR), calculate & interpret LR for positive result (LR+) and for negative result (LR-).
3. Convert odds to probabilities (and vice versa) & conduct probability revision using the odds-LR form of Bayes.

Teaching Pack Materials

• Instructor's Note: Using Test Information I
• Videos, Part 1: Interpreting Information (2 videos)
• Videos, Part 2: Using Likelihood Ratios (2 videos)
• Videos, Part 3: Practice Using the Odds-LR Form of Bayes (1 video)
• Companion Slides to Videos, Part 1: Interpreting Information
• Companion Slides to Videos, Part 2: Using Likelihood Ratios
• Companion Slides to Videos, Part 3: Practice Using the Odds-LR Form of Bayes
• Glossary: Using Test Information I
• Bibliography: Using Test Information I
• Sample Exercises: Using Test Information I

This teaching pack was developed by Sue J. Goldie at the Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The multimedia components were developed as part of a series of pilots in the CHDS Media Hub, led by Jake Waxman, where media-based pedagogy experiments contribute to new ways of thinking about short form content.