PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Verdon, Mary E.
AU  - Siemens, Kelly
TI  - Yield of Review of Systems in a Self-administered Questionnaire.
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.10.1.20
DP  - 1997 Jan 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Practice
PG  - 20--27
VI  - 10
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/10/1/20.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/10/1/20.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med1997 Jan 01; 10
AB  - Background: Family physicians frequently screen new patients with questionnaires that include a standard review of systems. The diagnostic yield of such questionnaires is unknown. Methods: We retrospectively compared results of 248 patient questionnaires with the clinicians' dictated medical record in a university-based family medicine practice. Any positive responses in the review of systems section were compared with the medical record to determine whether they resulted in a new diagnosis and a therapeutic maneuver. Results: The case-finding yield for the review of systems section as a whole was 10.5 percent. This yield compares favorably with other screening maneuvers in clinical practice. Individual questions had yields of 0.0 to 1.6 percent. The positive predictive value for a given yes response on the review of systems, defined as new diagnoses divided by total yes answers, was 3.3 percent. Conclusions: Compared with other case finding maneuvers in clinical practice, the review of systems questionnaire has a very acceptable yield. Its positive predictive value is low, however, and there are differences observed among physicians. Certain questions had a positive predictive value of 0.0 and could be deleted, which would produce a shortened review of systems section.