IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/medema/v5y1985i4p447-451.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Superiority of Sequential Over Simultaneous Testing

Author

Listed:
  • Peter M. Doubilet
  • Kevin C. Cain

Abstract

Diagnostic tests are typically used to help the physician select among available management options. When two or more tests are available, using them sequentially is potentially more efficient than simultaneously performing multiple tests, in that the former approach may allow the physician to perform fewer tests. In particular, we demonstrate that if two common conditions are met, any simultaneous strategy involving at least as many tests as management options can be replaced by a sequential strategy with the same outcome and a smaller expected number of tests. It follows that, in many clinical situations in which the benefits of performing fewer tests outweigh the costs that may result from delaying diagnosis, simultaneous strategies cannot be optimal. This result can decrease the number of diagnostic strategies that the physician or decision analyst needs to consider. (Med Decis Making 5:447-451, 1985)

Suggested Citation

  • Peter M. Doubilet & Kevin C. Cain, 1985. "The Superiority of Sequential Over Simultaneous Testing," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 5(4), pages 447-451, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:medema:v:5:y:1985:i:4:p:447-451
    DOI: 10.1177/0272989X8500500406
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0272989X8500500406
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0272989X8500500406?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:medema:v:5:y:1985:i:4:p:447-451. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.