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As the arsenal of clinical investigations is continuously changing, it can be challenging to choose the right test for your patient. Novel tests arrive and supersede old ones; indications for established tests change; test results have to be reinterpreted in the light of new evidence. Inappropriate testing can have a range of negative consequences, from adding nothing to the patient's management, generating confusion and at worst providing false reassurance. To help paediatricians make best use of the plethora of tests at their disposal, we at E&P have devised Interpretations. Here, I present the format with the aim to encourage you, our reader, to pick up a pen and to start writing.
Aim
The aim of Interpretations is to educate paediatricians about the utility of tests. Interpretations should highlight when not to use a test and the limits of the interpretation of test results.
Topics and authors
Any test used in paediatric practice lends itself to an Interpretation including everyday tests, specialist tests, whether performed in a laboratory, at the bedside or in the radiology department. Another category of tests that may be discussed are clinical examination techniques, which we are particularly keen to publish on (but are still awaiting a first submission of). Although a senior author with specialist knowledge on the test is required, Interpretations can be written by …
Footnotes
Competing interests None.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.