Decision Analysis—A Helpful Tool for Clinicians to Establish Diagnostic -Therapeutic Guidelines

Abstract

In this paper we focus on the question: Does decision analysis provide a framework to assess the value of diagnostic tests in clinical practice and how can it be used by clinicians in establishing diagnostic-therapeutic guidelines. To study this question we performed two analyses concerning the use of pelvic lymphadenectomy and pedal lymphography for staging prostate cancer. Both analyses yielded similar results as far as the preferred strategy was concerned, yet the approach and set up of the two analyses were different. The first analysis was performed in accordance with the textbooks on decision analysis. However, using this traditional approach we encountered some difficulties: in structuring the decision tree, in eliciting values for the quality of life parameters, and in interpreting the results. These difficulties urged us to modify the approach, presented in the second analysis. In this second analysis, the decision problem was split into several consecutive decision problems which corresponded to the questions posed by the clinicians. Longevity and quality of life were considered separately and the consequences of treatment and testing, which affect the quality of life of the patients, were indicated by just two parameters. Finally, the result of the analysis was expressed in clinically meaningful terms. The second analysis is compared with different approaches presented in the literature for analyzing decision problems involving diagnostic tests. Despite some unresolved methodological problems it is concluded that decision analysis provides a good framework for clinicians to structure and analyze complex decision problems.