The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Development and validation of the Molluscum Contagiosum Diagnostic Tool for Parents: diagnostic accuracy study in primary care

Development and validation of the Molluscum Contagiosum Diagnostic Tool for Parents: diagnostic accuracy study in primary care
Development and validation of the Molluscum Contagiosum Diagnostic Tool for Parents: diagnostic accuracy study in primary care
Background: Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is diagnosed by its distinct appearance. Parental diagnosis of MC may reduce anxiety and lead to reductions in healthcare consultations, and may be particularly useful in large-scale epidemiological studies. However, there are currently no published, validated tools allowing parental diagnosis of MC. Aim: To develop and validate a tool for parental diagnosis of MC. Design and setting: The Molluscum Contagiosum Diagnostic Tool for Parents (MCDTP) was developed and its diagnostic accuracy was compared with GP diagnosis in 12 GP surgeries in South Wales. Method: Following development, which involved three phases with dermatologists, nurses, GPs, and parents, parents completed the MCDTP (index test) in the practice waiting room, and rated their confidence in their diagnosis. A GP then examined their child for MC (reference test). Test characteristics were calculated for all responders and for those who expressed being confident or very confident in their diagnosis. Results: A total of 203 parents completed the MCDTP. The MCDTP showed a sensitivity of 91.5% (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 81.3 to 97.2) and a specificity of 88.2% (95% CI = 81.8 to 93.0) in all parents and a sensitivity of 95.8% (95% CI = 85.7 to 99.5) and a specificity of 90.9% (95% CI = 83.9 to 95.6) in parents who were confident or very confident in their diagnosis. The positive predictive value was 76.1% (95% CI = 64.5 to 85.4) and negative predictive value was 96.2% (95% CI = 91.4 to 98.8) for all parents. Conclusion: The MCDTP performed well compared with GP diagnosis and is suitable for clinical use by parents and in population-based studies.
e471-e476
Olsen, Jonathan
fe74760c-dd70-4e65-937a-a9c883ab71d6
Gallacher, John Edward
b7f0659b-97cb-4712-a63b-1fd5e376105b
Piguet, Vincent
1a7fc697-331f-45c8-9fe5-f6a813084869
Francis, Nick A.
9b610883-605c-4fee-871d-defaa86ccf8e
Olsen, Jonathan
fe74760c-dd70-4e65-937a-a9c883ab71d6
Gallacher, John Edward
b7f0659b-97cb-4712-a63b-1fd5e376105b
Piguet, Vincent
1a7fc697-331f-45c8-9fe5-f6a813084869
Francis, Nick A.
9b610883-605c-4fee-871d-defaa86ccf8e

Olsen, Jonathan, Gallacher, John Edward, Piguet, Vincent and Francis, Nick A. (2014) Development and validation of the Molluscum Contagiosum Diagnostic Tool for Parents: diagnostic accuracy study in primary care. British Journal of General Practice, 64 (625), e471-e476. (doi:10.3399/bjgp14X680941).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is diagnosed by its distinct appearance. Parental diagnosis of MC may reduce anxiety and lead to reductions in healthcare consultations, and may be particularly useful in large-scale epidemiological studies. However, there are currently no published, validated tools allowing parental diagnosis of MC. Aim: To develop and validate a tool for parental diagnosis of MC. Design and setting: The Molluscum Contagiosum Diagnostic Tool for Parents (MCDTP) was developed and its diagnostic accuracy was compared with GP diagnosis in 12 GP surgeries in South Wales. Method: Following development, which involved three phases with dermatologists, nurses, GPs, and parents, parents completed the MCDTP (index test) in the practice waiting room, and rated their confidence in their diagnosis. A GP then examined their child for MC (reference test). Test characteristics were calculated for all responders and for those who expressed being confident or very confident in their diagnosis. Results: A total of 203 parents completed the MCDTP. The MCDTP showed a sensitivity of 91.5% (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 81.3 to 97.2) and a specificity of 88.2% (95% CI = 81.8 to 93.0) in all parents and a sensitivity of 95.8% (95% CI = 85.7 to 99.5) and a specificity of 90.9% (95% CI = 83.9 to 95.6) in parents who were confident or very confident in their diagnosis. The positive predictive value was 76.1% (95% CI = 64.5 to 85.4) and negative predictive value was 96.2% (95% CI = 91.4 to 98.8) for all parents. Conclusion: The MCDTP performed well compared with GP diagnosis and is suitable for clinical use by parents and in population-based studies.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 6 March 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 28 July 2014
Published date: 1 August 2014

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 436308
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/436308
PURE UUID: 798e61c4-6bbb-436f-805d-7cef4377e16f
ORCID for Nick A. Francis: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8939-7312

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 Dec 2019 17:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:58

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Jonathan Olsen
Author: John Edward Gallacher
Author: Vincent Piguet
Author: Nick A. Francis ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×