Medical tests are performed to determine whether a disease or medical condition in a person who has no signs or symptoms of the disease. Because the screening healthy people is offered, the criteria for judging the effectiveness of health care screening tests are used as the stringent tests to the disease in those who claimed for medical help diagnose the visible symptoms of the disease. The benefits of screening must outweigh potential harm.
Benefits of medical screening differ by characteristics of the test, and prevalence (proportion of those who have the condition) were tested in the population or subpopulation (eg, gender, age group, ethnicity). Low prevalence of certain characteristics or test, lead to more false alarms.
Damage caused by a false-positive
A positive result from a person does not cause the disease lead to more tests and, if they are positive, possibly unnecessary treatment. All medical tests and treatments have potential adverse effects, up to and including death. Unnecessary anxiety or fear from the erroneous assumption that a disease (eg cancer) can also cause psychological damage. regular screening (eg yearly) with a given test increases the chance of a false positive test.
Harm a false-negative
may cause a negative result in screening a person, the actual disease to ignore symptoms and delay later seek treatment when they are most effective has.
Extension of time to disease progression
medical screening should reduce disability and mortality, not only to find more cases. If there is no effective treatment for the disease in question, the patient more sick time than if they had not been tested until symptoms occur.
Test itself can be harmful
medical examinations with radiation exposure may increase the risk of cancer over time, especially with regular or screen Youth. Cat-scans offer the appropriate radiation of about 500 chest x-rays, but will increasingly be offered each year in the health screening business.
Screening reduces inefficient health care resources
The considerable cost and time associated with the health professional ineffective screening and follow-up testing and treatment reduces the resources available to provide effective care. This can lead to longer waiting specialty care or treatment or for some effective interventions not available for all who need it.
