Decision analysis

The application of explicit, quantitative methods to analyse decisions under conditions of uncertainty.

Developmental Evaluation

“supports innovation development to guide adaptation to emergent and dynamic realities in complex environments”

Michael Quinn Patton – http://betterevaluation.org/plan/approach/developmental_evaluation

Diagnosis

The process of determining health status and the factors responsible for producing it, and may be applied to an individual, family, group or community. The term applied both to the process of determination and to its findings.

Diagnostic Test

Any medical test performed to confirm, or determine the presence of disease in an individual suspected of having the disease, usually following the report of symptoms, or based on the results of other medical tests. Some examples of diagnostic tests include performing a chest x-ray to diagnose pneumonia, and taking skin biopsy to detect cancerous cells. (Harvard Guide to Diagnostic test)

DOAJ

DOAJ is the Directory of Open Access Journals

DOOs (Disease-Oriented Outcomes)

DOOs refers to the outcomes of studies that measure physiologic or surrogate markers of health. This would include things such as blood pressure, serum creatinine, glycohaemoglobin, sensitivity and specificity, or peak flow. Improvements in these outcomes do not always lead to improvements in patient-oriented outcomes (POOs), such as symptoms, morbidity, quality of life, or mortality, which are the type of outcomes patients care more about. Any POO evidence that would change practice is a POEM (patient-oriented evidence that matters).