The New York Neuropsychology Group (NYNG) Presents:

The 2020 Annual Arthur L. Benton Lecture

Reducing Diagnostic Uncertainty:

The Role of Evidence-Based Practices in Clinical Practice & Research

Gordon J. Chelune, PhD, ABPP-CN

Professor Emeritus, Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine

January 27th, 7:00pm-8:00pm

Registration opens at 6:30pm; Pre-register online at NYNG.org

Weill Cornell Medicine

1300 York Avenue

A950 Auditorium

FREE for NYNG Members; $20 for Non-members

1 CE Credit: cost $15

Reducing Diagnostic Uncertainty:

The Role of Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) in Clinical Practice and Research

Within the clinical setting, the primary goal of any evaluation is to reduce clinical uncertainty about a patient’s diagnosis, management or care. While clinical research often attempts to answer questions designed to assist clinicians in making informed decisions about patients, many studies fail to provide key details that can inform the clinician as to the quality and applicability of the investigational findings for individual clinical decision making. Even when present, practitioners often have difficulty applying the information that is available in an evidence-based manner. EBP provides a framework for doing this in an empirical and systematic way that incorporates findings from critically appraised clinical research to inform decisions about individual patients. EBP begins with asking appropriate and answerable questions, using informatics skills to acquire relevant research information, and then critically appraising the information. The next step in the EBM process, applying the information, presents the greatest challenge for researchers and clinicians alike- that is, how does one present and use data derived from the study of groups to inform clinical decisions about individuals? After looking closely at the initial steps in the EBM process, this presentation will focus on methods for extracting relevant information from test manuals and research reports on patient groups and how to evaluate this information in terms of test operating characteristics (e.g., how to interpret odds and risk ratios, likelihood ratios, and other base-rate information), and most importantly how to apply these data derived from patient groups to individual patients in daily practice

Learning Objectives:

As a result of attending this presentation, participants will be able to:

  1. Assess the quality and applicability of published research in terms of the “evidence pyramid” and published guidelines such as the Standards for Reporting Diagnostic accuracy studies (STARD) initiative;
  2. Extract base-rate information from published reports and apply this information to their patient’s observed test scores to determine the Test Operating Characteristics (TOC) for those test scores;
  3. Apply basic test operating characteristics (TOC) to evaluate the degree to which a patient’s tests scores actually reduce uncertainty with respect to the diagnosis under consideration, and add “value” to the patient’s care; and
  4. Approach patient evaluations as clinical outcomes with every test score seen as part of that outcome and that can and should be interpreted within the context of evidence-based practice

Speaker:  Gordon J. Chelune,PhD, ABPP- CN

Title: Professor Emeritus, Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine

 Biography: Gordon J. Chelune is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurology at the University of Utah School of Medicine where he served as the Senior Neuropsychologist in the Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging and Research. He is also a member of the University of Utah’s Brain Institute, Center on Aging, and Department of Psychology. Before joining the University of Utah in 2006, Dr. Chelune was on staff of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he founded the Section of Neuropsychology in 1985 and had appointments in Neurology and Psychiatry & Psychology. He has also held faculty appointments in Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego and West Virginia University School of Medicine. He has authored over 120 peer-reviewed papers, 50 books and book chapters, and has given over 80 CE programs. He is best known for his work on serial assessment and methods of reliable change in outcomes research, cognitive assessment methods, and evidence-based practice. He has been the Principal Investigator for the Utah CCN for the NIH SPRINT-MIND and ASK trials looking at the effects of intensive blood pressure intervention on cardiovascular events and cognitive function in the elderly. Dr. Chelune is a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, American Psychological Association, and the Society for Personality Assessment. He has served as President of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and President of the APA Society of Clinical Neuropsychology (Div. 40), and has been a Member-at-Large, Treasurer and recently Executive Director of the International Neuropsychological Society. In 2015 Gordon received the Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Neuropsychology Award from the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and last year in NYC he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Service from the International Neuropsychological Society.