Diagnostic Testing

Question 1

Define “false positive”

Answer 1

A test result which wrongly indicates that a particular condition or attribute is present

Question 2

Define “false negative”

Answer 2

A test result which wrongly indicates that a particular condition or attribute is absent

Question 3

Define test “sensitivity”

Answer 3

The ability of a test to correctly identify those with the disease (true positive rate)

Question 4

Define test “specificity”

Answer 4

The ability of the test to correctly identify those without the disease (true negative rate)

Question 5

Define “positive predictive value”

Answer 5

Positive predictive value is the probability that subjects with a positive screening test truly have the disease

Question 6

Define “negative predictive value”

Answer 6

Negative predictive value is the probability that subjects with a negative screening test truly don’t have the disease