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09:04
Selected Reaction Monitoring Mass Spectrometry for Absolute Protein Quantification
Published on: August 17, 2015
Minimum distinguishable difference in concentration: a clinically oriented translation of assay precision summaries
W A Sadler1, L M Murray, J G Turner
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand.
Clinical Chemistry
|September 1, 1992
Summary
Clinicians and laboratories can improve communication by using assay discriminatory power, a more intuitive measure than coefficient of variation. This enhances understanding of laboratory assay performance and clinical relevance.
Area of Science:
- Clinical laboratory science
- Medical diagnostics
- Health services research
Background:
- Healthcare systems are increasingly market-driven, emphasizing resource optimization.
- Clinical laboratory performance metrics require better alignment with clinical utility.
- Existing laboratory performance measures, like coefficient of variation, lack clinical intuitiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose improved methods for estimating assay reproducibility and predicting performance.
- To introduce an alternative assay summary measure focused on discriminatory power.
- To enhance communication between clinical laboratories and healthcare providers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized routine clinical data from an immunoradiometric assay for thyrotropin.
- Developed a general approach for estimating and predicting assay reproducibility.
- Calculated an alternative assay summary measure reflecting discriminatory power.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a method for assessing assay reproducibility using clinical data.
- Introduced a novel measure of assay discriminatory power.
- Showcased the utility of this measure with a thyrotropin assay example.
Conclusions:
- Assay discriminatory power offers a more clinically relevant perspective than coefficient of variation.
- Improved communication can be achieved by adopting clinician-centric assay performance metrics.
- This approach supports better resource utilization and clinical decision-making in healthcare.
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