The predictive value model for laboratory tests is an analytical data-based system for documenting the overall performance of a diagnostic laboratory test in terms of its ability to accurately distinguish the presence of a disease state with a positive test result from the absence of a disease state with a negative test result.
The differential diagnosis of a disease state begins with a thorough evaluation of a patient using a physical examination and clinical history (Galen 1982). To confirm or support a suspicion of a disease state, a laboratory test is often performed. The analyte that is measured in the test should provide information about the disease state being evaluated. To be considered useful to the diagnostic process, a laboratory test needs to be able to detect or confirm the disease state or disorder, provide information about the pathological process.
