Will a patient with strict criteria fall on the upper right or lower left of an ROC curve?

In the context of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a point falling in the upper right corner represents an ideal test with both high sensitivity and high specificity. This means that the test accurately identifies a high proportion of true positives (sensitivity) while also correctly identifying a high proportion of true negatives (specificity).

Conversely, a patient with strict criteria, which likely means they are less tolerant of false positives and more focused on avoiding incorrect diagnoses, would be represented in the lower left corner of the ROC curve. This area indicates low sensitivity and low specificity, where the test fails to effectively discriminate between those who have the condition and those who do not.

Thus, a patient with strict criteria would indeed fall toward the lower left, demonstrating that the test is not performing well according to their standards. This understanding is fundamental in evaluating the effectiveness of diagnostic tests and aligning them with patient expectations and thresholds for diagnosis.