Comparing diagnostic tests using information theory: the INFO-ROC technique

J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1992 Spring;4(2):214-9. doi: 10.1176/jnp.4.2.214.

Abstract

We continue our examination of diagnostic tests that are used to assign individuals to one of two mutually exclusive categories, those having or not having a particular disorder. Our last article showed how the information yielded by a test depends on the choice of cutoff and on the patient's pre-test probability of having the disorder. In this article, we demonstrate a method of optimizing a test's information yield that allows us to determine which of several tests gives the most information. Our technique allows us to compare a test's performance with that of a perfect diagnostic test.

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation*
  • Depressive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Humans
  • Information Theory*
  • Models, Statistical*
  • Predictive Value of Tests*
  • ROC Curve*
  • Reaction Time
  • Sleep, REM