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Screening (medicine)
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<p>Screening, in medicine, is a strategy used to look for as-yet-unrecognised conditions or <a href="/facts/Risk_marker/N0YTUyer">risk markers</a>. This testing can be applied to individuals or to a whole <a href="/facts/Population/ArxshNuB">population</a> without symptoms or signs of the disease being screened. </p><p>Screening <a href="/facts/Public_health_intervention/lmmcQtjj">interventions</a> are designed to identify conditions which could at some future point turn into disease, 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; <a href="/facts/Overdiagnosis/d6CspRcq">overdiagnosis</a>, <a href="/facts/Misdiagnosis/1RyM0bdK">misdiagnosis</a>, and creating a false sense of security are some potential <a href="/facts/Adverse_effect_(medicine)/vAhfbr1J">adverse effects</a> of screening. Additionally, some screening tests can be inappropriately overused. For these reasons, a test used in a screening program, especially for a disease with low <a href="/facts/Incidence_(epidemiology)/2BB3FlBK">incidence</a>, must have good <a href="/facts/Sensitivity_(tests)/pzc9qfdz">sensitivity</a> in addition to acceptable <a href="/facts/Specificity_(tests)/pzc9qfdz">specificity</a>. </p><p>Several types of screening exist: universal screening involves screening of all individuals in a certain category (for example, all children of a certain age). Case finding involves screening a smaller group of people based on the presence of risk factors (for example, because a family member has been diagnosed with a hereditary disease). Screening interventions are not designed to be diagnostic, and often have significant rates of both <a href="/facts/False_positive/jkC44hML">false positive</a> and <a href="/facts/False_negative/jkC44hML">false negative</a> results. </p><p>Frequently updated recommendations for screening are provided by the independent panel of experts, the <a href="/facts/United_States_Preventive_Services_Task_Force/SLTKvauE">United States Preventive Services Task Force</a>. </p>