Abstract
Screening programs may seem useful and effective. However, in many cases the benefit is not clear and may actually do more harm than good. Each time a clinician asks for an early diagnostic test, the scientific evidence and the attributed risks need to be defined. The effectiveness of any early diagnosis test relies on the characteristics of the test itself, the disease to be ruled-out, and the side effects of the test. Such effects may be physical and emotional and the outcomes may be against the well being of the patient. In general, if an early diagnostic test does not lead to improvement in the survival and/or morbidity of patients, its utilization is not justified.
| Translated title of the contribution | In who and when to do early diagnosis of disease |
|---|---|
| Original language | Spanish |
| Pages (from-to) | 67-74 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Revista de Investigacion Clinica |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jan 1997 |
Keywords
- Cost-effectiveness
- Diagnosis
- Health services research
- Prevention
- Screening
- Sensitivity
- Specificity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine