(CME159) Think Before You Order: Application of Bayesian Statistics at the Bedside

Session Summary: Attending physicians and advanced practice clinicians in post-acute and long-term care are on a daily basis asked to make clinical decisions without the same tools available in the hospital setting. Clinicians practicing with these limited resources often order a particular test due to protocol or to common practice, but without forethought of how to interpret an abnormal result in this setting. This presentation will review the concepts of pre-test probability and Bayesian statistics to equip clinicians at the bedside with an understanding of how a test result assists in creating a differential diagnosis, and how the result may or may not help in patient care. We will look specifically at the following tests: urinalysis, urine culture, BNP, abdominal flat plate, and d-dimer through a review of pertinent literature and through cases studies. In addition, we will discuss the use of serial studies to track clinical progress.