Chapter 30 Principles of disease screening Questions What does screening mean? What criteria does a disease need to fulfil in order to be detected by screening? Screening for a disease means searching for evidence of that disease among asymptomatic individuals. The aim of screening is to detect a disease at an early stage, when treatment is associated with an improved outcome (i.e. a better chance of survival from the disease) compared with the outcome if a patient presented with symptoms of the disease. Criteria of suitability for screening Several criteria have to be fulfilled in order for a disease to be potentially suitable for screening: the biological progression must be understood an asymptomatic phase must exist the screening test must be acceptable to the individual the programme must be cost effective the screening test must be as sensitive and specific as possible detection of the disease at an early stage must be associated with improved survival a suitable treatment for the disease should exist, if detected by screening the potential impact of the disease on the population needs to be significant. The requirement for a significant impact on the population means that the disease should be common and/or associated with serious consequences for affected individuals. The biological progression of the disease is important; in particular, a presymptomatic phase must exist during which the early disease process can be identified by a suitable screening test. Tests must have a high degree of: sensitivity (a low false-negative rate): should identify as many affected individuals as possible specificity (a low false-positive rate): should be negative in individuals not affected by the disease.< div class='tao-gold-member'> Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Related posts: lung disease big picture heart disease disease and congenital heart disease and epidemiology of neoplasia Tags: The Flesh and Bones of Pathology Jul 3, 2016 | Posted by admin in MUSCULOSKELETAL MEDICINE | Comments Off on of disease screening
Chapter 30 Principles of disease screening Questions What does screening mean? What criteria does a disease need to fulfil in order to be detected by screening? Screening for a disease means searching for evidence of that disease among asymptomatic individuals. The aim of screening is to detect a disease at an early stage, when treatment is associated with an improved outcome (i.e. a better chance of survival from the disease) compared with the outcome if a patient presented with symptoms of the disease. Criteria of suitability for screening Several criteria have to be fulfilled in order for a disease to be potentially suitable for screening: the biological progression must be understood an asymptomatic phase must exist the screening test must be acceptable to the individual the programme must be cost effective the screening test must be as sensitive and specific as possible detection of the disease at an early stage must be associated with improved survival a suitable treatment for the disease should exist, if detected by screening the potential impact of the disease on the population needs to be significant. The requirement for a significant impact on the population means that the disease should be common and/or associated with serious consequences for affected individuals. The biological progression of the disease is important; in particular, a presymptomatic phase must exist during which the early disease process can be identified by a suitable screening test. Tests must have a high degree of: sensitivity (a low false-negative rate): should identify as many affected individuals as possible specificity (a low false-positive rate): should be negative in individuals not affected by the disease.< div class='tao-gold-member'> Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Related posts: lung disease big picture heart disease disease and congenital heart disease and epidemiology of neoplasia Tags: The Flesh and Bones of Pathology Jul 3, 2016 | Posted by admin in MUSCULOSKELETAL MEDICINE | Comments Off on of disease screening
