A physical therapist is interested in determining how many people with a positive test result for SI joint pain actually have the disorder. What is this therapist focused on?

• A. Negative Predictive Value
• B. Positive Predictive Value
• C. Specificity
• D. Sensitivity

Answer: (B)

The correct focus in this scenario is the positive predictive value, which refers to the proportion of individuals with a positive test result who truly have the condition being tested for—in this case, sacroiliac (SI) joint pain. This measure helps determine the effectiveness of the test in identifying true positives, which is crucial for understanding the reliability of the test in clinical practice.

Positive predictive value is significant for a physical therapist because it aids in assessing the likelihood that a patient with a positive test truly has SI joint pain, guiding clinical decision-making and appropriate interventions. This aspect is particularly important in health settings where accurate diagnosis not only assists in patient management but also impacts treatment outcomes.

Values such as negative predictive value, specificity, and sensitivity serve different purposes in diagnostic testing. For instance, negative predictive value indicates the proportion of negatives that are true negatives, specificity measures the ability of a test to correctly identify individuals without the disease, and sensitivity assesses the test's capacity to correctly identify those with the disease. However, since the focus here is solely on the accuracy of positive results in diagnosing the disorder, the emphasis is rightly placed on positive predictive value.