In screening test performance, sensitivity measures which aspect?

In screening test performance, sensitivity measures which aspect?

• A. True positives
• B. False positives
• C. Negative predictive value
• D. Specificity

Answer: (A)

Sensitivity measures how good a screening test is at catching those who actually have the condition. It is the fraction of people with the disease who test positive—true positives among all true cases. So, a high sensitivity means the test misses few people who truly have the disease (few false negatives). To place it in context, the other terms describe different aspects: false positives are people without the disease who test positive, which relates to specificity; negative predictive value is the probability that someone with a negative result truly does not have the disease; and specificity is the proportion of true negatives among those without the disease, reflecting how well the test avoids labeling healthy people as positive.

Sensitivity measures how good a screening test is at catching those who actually have the condition. It is the fraction of people with the disease who test positive—true positives among all true cases. So, a high sensitivity means the test misses few people who truly have the disease (few false negatives).

To place it in context, the other terms describe different aspects: false positives are people without the disease who test positive, which relates to specificity; negative predictive value is the probability that someone with a negative result truly does not have the disease; and specificity is the proportion of true negatives among those without the disease, reflecting how well the test avoids labeling healthy people as positive.