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Ann Van den Bruel
MD, PhD
Associate Professor
My research focuses on diagnostic tests.
Diagnostic tests help doctors to identify illnesses and other conditions so that patients may be treated or given a prognosis about the course of the illness. It is important to study the added value of tests because a better understanding leads to more efficient healthcare and better outcomes for patients.
Over the past years, I have worked mainly on the diagnosis of serious infections in children. More precisely I conducted a large-scale study in primary care to analyse the value of clinical features for this diagnosis. In addition, we looked at how laboratory tests can help with this diagnosis and how parents and doctors view the diagnostic process when a child is admitted to hospital with a serious infection. The results of these studies have been used in several guidelines including one on feverish children by NICE.
More generally, I have collaborated with colleagues in other studies on diagnostic tests, such as clinical features in patients with chest pain, ultrasound for patients with shoulder problems, exercise testing to identify coronary disease, etc.
In addition to research, I'm also involved in teaching for the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine and other institutions across Europe.
Recent publications
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The diagnostic performance of current tumour markers in surveillance for recurrent testicular cancer: A diagnostic test accuracy systematic review.
Journal article
Nicholson BD. et al, (2019), Cancer Epidemiol, 59, 15 - 21
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Frequencies and patterns of laboratory test requests from general practice: A service evaluation to inform point-of-care testing
Journal article
(2018), Journal of Clinical Pathology, 71, 1065 - 1071
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Early detection of multiple myeloma in primary care using blood tests: A case-control study in primary care
Journal article
(2018), British Journal of General Practice, 68, e586 - e593
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Opportunities for earlier diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children: A case-control study using routinely collected primary care records
Journal article
(2018), Primary Care Diabetes, 12, 254 - 264
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Quantifying intervals to diagnosis in myeloma: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal article
(2018), BMJ Open, 8