Evidence-appraisal glossary
Clinical validation
Clinical validation establishes that a test's result corresponds to a particular clinical state, outcome, or disease in the intended population. It asks whether the measurement means something for patients, not merely whether the instrument reads accurately.
Also called: clinical validity.
A clinically validated test reliably separates people who have a condition from those who do not, or predicts an outcome, often summarized by sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values in a relevant population. A test can be analytically sound yet clinically useless if its results do not track health, and validity shown in one population may not carry over to another. Clinical validity still differs from clinical utility, which asks whether using the test actually improves decisions and outcomes.
This is a plain-language methodology definition for reading research. It is general education, not medical advice.