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Pediatric Diagnostic Lab Tests: An Overview

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Pediatric Diagnostic Labs for Primary Care: An Evidence-based Approach

Abstract

Diagnostic laboratory tests in children require specialized knowledge to collect specimens, interpret results, and make appropriate diagnoses. The knowledge of fundamentals central to diagnostic testing includes disease prevalence, pretest probability, and post-test probability.

The characteristics of diagnostic tests include sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio. A negative result of a diagnostic laboratory test must be interpreted in the face of the patient’s history, physical and disease prevalence, and diagnostic test characteristics.

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  1. Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City, New York, USA

    Arlene Smaldone & Rita Marie John

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  1. Arlene Smaldone
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Correspondence to Arlene Smaldone .

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  1. School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Rita Marie John

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Smaldone, A., John, R.M. (2022). Pediatric Diagnostic Lab Tests: An Overview. In: John, R.M. (eds) Pediatric Diagnostic Labs for Primary Care: An Evidence-based Approach. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90642-9_1

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