This has now been superseded by the QUADAS-3 tool. 

QUADAS-2 (PDF, 269kB) is the previous version of QUADAS.  The Background document (PDF, 552kB) provides general guidance on completing QUADAS-2.  Details of the team involved in the development of QUADAS-2 are available in Who we are.

To cite the QUADAS-2 tool, use:

Whiting PF, Rutjes AWS, Westwood ME, Mallett S, Deeks JJ, Reitsma JB, Leeflang MM, Sterne JAC, and Bossuyt PMM. QUADAS-2: A Revised Tool for the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies. Ann Intern Med 155 (8):529-536, 2011.

QUADAS-2, consists of four key domains:

• patient selection
• index test
• reference standard
• flow and timing

Each is assessed in terms of risk of bias and the first three in terms of concerns regarding applicability. Signalling questions are included to assist in judgements about risk of bias. QUADAS-2 is applied in four phases:

1. summarise the review question
2. tailor the tool to the review and produce review-specific guidance
3. construct a flow diagram for the primary study
4. assess risk of bias and concerns regarding applicability

Translations

Italian

• QUADAS-2: strumento per valutare la qualità degli studi di accuratezza diagnostica

• Strumento QUADAS-2 (Office document, 76kB)

• Template per la presentazione grafica (Office document, 18kB)

   

Japanese

• QUADAS 2 tool - Japanese (PDF, 150kB)

• QUADAS 2 background document - Japanese (PDF, 597kB)