Glossary of Terms

We know that many of the concepts used on this site can be difficult to understand. For that reason, we have provided you with a glossary to help you make sense of the terms used in Comparative Effectiveness Research. Every word that is defined in this glossary should appear highlighted throughout the Web site. When you come upon a highlighted term and would like to read the full definition, you can either click on the word to visit the glossary or roll your mouse over the word for a pop-up definition.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Treatment Effect

The amount of change in a condition or symptom because of a treatment (compared to not receiving the treatment). It is commonly expressed as a risk ratio (relative risk), odds ratio, or difference in risk. detail

True-Negative Rate

The ability of a test to identify correctly people without the condition. A test with a high true-negative rate will rarely be wrong about who does NOT have the condition (the test has a low rate of false-positive results). The true-negative rate is also known as specificity . detail

True-Positive Rate

The ability of a test to identify correctly people with a condition. A test with a high true-positive rate will will nearly always be positive for people who have the condition (the test has a low rate of false-negative results). The true-positive rate is also known as sensitivity. detail