Title: Exploring Diagnostic Test Accuracy with Plotly Dash

Abstract:

Epidemics — as we have all come to see first-hand — are full of uncertainty. Diagnostic test results are no exception. Some tests are more accurate than others due to specific characteristics of the test, and in some cases it may be important to consider the trade-offs of various tests before deploying diagnostics to a population. Additionally, the accuracy of any test depends, in part, on estimates about the prevalence of infection, i.e. what percentage of people in the population actually have the disease. While knowing the true prevalence of infection is extremely difficult, statistical strategies can inform helpful estimates. It is important for decision-makers to understand these strategies and their limitations.

For all of these reasons, In-Q-Tel is sharing the COVID-19 Diagnostic Accuracy Tool, an interactive web application designed to help people understand and interpret the accuracy of diagnostic tests for the novel coronavirus. This tool, built with Dash, uses interactive data visualizations to present quantitative information about uncertainty in accessible ways.