Phallometric assessment of sex offenders

The intent is to provide a list of sources and a summary of the best evidence on the topic that CADTH could identify using all reasonable efforts within the time allowed. [...] Two studies measured diagnostic accuracy as the degree of association between the index test and reference standard.7,9 One reported the correlation between test results and victim choice.11 Two studies reported diagnostic accuracy as receiver operator characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC).12,13 The ROC curve represents the trade-off between test sensitivity and specificity, and the AUC [...] None of the included studies explicitly stated that index test results were interpreted without knowledge of the results of reference standard or vice versa; thus, increasing the risk of review bias. [...] The evidence is also limited by the lack of a consensus on the reference standard for comparison of accuracy. [...] CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR DECISION OR POLICY MAKING: The results for the diagnostic accuracy of phallometric assessment were mixed.