Screening for alcohol problems: what makes a test effective?

Alcohol Research & Health, Wntr, 2004 by Scott H. Stewart, Gerard J. Connors

(1) This definition implies that as sensitivity approaches 1, the probability of a false negative result approaches 0.

(2) "At-risk" drinking in that study was defined as any pattern of use or alcohol-related consequences that ruled out nonproblem drinking (e.g., drinking in excess of national guidelines, meeting the criteria for hazardous and harmful use, or meeting the criteria for abuse and dependence)

(3) Note that "odds" and "probability" are not the same. In mathematical terms, odds = probability / [1-probability], and probability = odds / [odds 1].

(4) Note that Patient 2 has the same post-test probability that was estimated using the positive predictive value (accounting for rounding error), because he was assigned a pretest probability equal to the population prevalence.

(5) Again, Patient 2, with an estimated pretest probability equal to the population prevalence, has the same posttest estimate as that obtained with the negative predictive value approach (after accounting for rounding error).

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