Screening is the identification of people in an seemingly healthy population who are at higher risk of a health problem or a condition, so that an early treatment or intervention can be offered, in order to improve their health status and thereby reduce the incidence and/or mortality of the health problem or condition within the population
Therefore, the chances of effective treatment can be much higher by detecting a disease in its early stages, with breast cancer being a classic example. Also, by identifying individuals with a risk factor for a
disease, we can treat it before it leads to long-term damage to the individuals’ health. As a result, screening is the key element of secondary prevention.
In this context, students will study in depth and be able to:
· understand the basic principles of screening, the criteria for its application, and the selection of appropriate diagnostic tests
· comprehend the main applications of such programs and the ways of their evaluation
· recognize the significance of selecting, the right diseases, the right population, with the right tests