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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Signal Acquisition, Score Interpretation, and Economics of a Non-Invasive Point-of-Care Test for Coronary Artery Disease
Published on: August 9, 2024
The dangers of false-positive and false-negative test results: false-positive results as a function of pretest
1ARUP Laboratories, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. brian.jackson@aruplab.com
Abstract:
This article focuses on the following key points of improving clinicians' use of laboratory tests: (1) laboratory tests are always imperfect, but some are much more imperfect than others; (2) limitations in human cognition compound the potential for misinterpretation of test results; (3) false-positive and false-negative laboratory results can lead to serious patient harm; and (4) judicious use of laboratory tests can help mitigate potential harm from spurious results.
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