Screen

Screening (medicine) is a strategy used in a population to identify an unrecognized disease in individuals without signs or symptoms. This can include individuals with pre-symptomatic or unrecognized symptomatic disease. As such, screening tests are somewhat unique in that they are performed on persons apparently in good health.

Screening interventions are designed to identify disease in a community early, thus enabling earlier intervention and management in the hope to reduce mortality and suffering from a disease. Although screening may lead to an earlier diagnosis, not all screening tests have been shown to benefit the person being screened; overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, and creating a false sense of security are some potential adverse effects of screening. For these reasons, a test used in a screening program, especially for a disease with low incidence, must have good specificity and sensitivity.

Types of Screening

There are several types of screening with examples such as:

• Newborn screening: This identifies diseases that can affect a person’s long term health or survival. Early detection, diagnosis, and intervention can prevent death or disability and enable children to reach their full potential.
• Pregnancy screening: These are tests and scans to detect problems with the baby, or complications with the mother's health.
• Cancer screening: These are tests that look for signs of cancer in people who have no symptoms. They can help doctors find and treat several types of cancer early.

Benefits and Risks

Screening can detect medical conditions at an early stage before symptoms appear. However, not all screening tests are helpful and most have risks. Before having any screening test, you might want to discuss the test with your doctor. It is important to know the risks of the test and whether it has been proven to reduce the risk of dying from cancer.

See Also

• Preventive healthcare
• Diagnostic test
• Medical test

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