Posts

2024 begins (01012024)

Image
It is not about the destination, it is the journey. It is the journey that shows you... It is the journey that teaches you... It is the journey that makes you discover... how little that you actually know. I began my DPhil in October 2023. In the blink of an eye, this is my final year; my fourth year in this humbling life episode. The ups and downs over the last few years have been challenging, but without the support of my family, it will be near impossible. For that, I am truly grateful! As the millennium enters another year, my heart fills with mixed emotions. The sense of uncertainties and anxiety is perhaps the most predominant now. The countdown for the final viva has begun. As my scholarship will be officially ending in April 2024, my days here are counted. The plan is to submit the final thesis manuscript by the end of January 2024, for a viva in March 2024, insyaAllah. Nevertheless, now the thesis is being evaluated first by my three supervisors; Prof Masliza, Prof Betty Raman...
Post a Comment
Read more

DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS (PART 1)

Image
The primary purpose of a screening test is to rule out a disease or a clinical condition of interest to put less demand on the healthcare system and less discomforting for patients as it is usually less invasive, less dangerous, user-friendly and inexpensive. The question is, how do we know that a screening test is reliable and, therefore, safely applicable in clinical settings? The short answer is the predictive ability of a screening test must be inspected to what degree it corresponds to the reference standard to diagnose the condition. For example, if the hypothesis is testing the reliability of ECG to diagnose a STEMI, the ECG features must be  analysed in relation to the angiogram outcome, which is considered the reference standard test to detect a complete obstruction of the coronary vessel. In other words, the ‘reference standard’ represents a test that provides authoritative and definitive proof that a condition of interest is present. The typical analysis to determine the...
Post a Comment
Read more