A critical analysis of the use of diagnostic testing in the clinical environment

Design and present an A2 poster suitable for a conference presentation (not including references – these will be submitted on a separate sheet) on the subject of diagnostic testing. As discussed earlier in the module, you are free to choose your own focus for this particular piece of work. Some examples of themes that you can focus on if you wish are listed below, but do not feel you have to choose one of these themes. Example themes include:
 The range of tests used to diagnose a specific disease/set of diseases
 The use of medical imaging techniques to diagnose disease
 The use of biomarker identification to diagnose disease/risk of disease
 The development of diagnostic tests which can take place in the home
 The assays used to diagnose bacterial/viral infection, and the techniques used to
monitor the progression of an epidemic/pandemic
You will display your poster and be prepared for a 15 minute oral viva with 2 examiners where you will be prepared to answer questions about the poster content linked to the relevant learning outcome. The poster will be marked using specific criteria ( see next page)
Remember, a crucial part of the learning outcome, and therefore the assessment, is critical analysis. You therefore need to ensure that there are consistent analytical themes throughout your poster and your oral defence. Examples of aspects you can critically analyse for this work include:
 Accuracy of the diagnostic test
 Cost of the diagnostic test
 Speed of results from the diagnostic test
 Ease of use
 Availability of the test
 Ethical considerations in using the test