screening programmes Flashcards
what is a screening programme
way of identifying apparently healthy people who may have an increased risk of a particular condition
WHO definition of screening: process one that begins with invitation to participate and ends with treatment for appropriately identified individuals
what are the 5 levels in the hierarchy of screenign
- national population screening
- targeted / risk stratified screening
- NHS health checks
- opportunistic screening
- screening (as part of routine)
note: in any screening programme there are false positives and false negatives - its never 100% effective
population screening simply acts as a ‘sieve’
because apparently healthy people are invited for screening, healthcare professionals have to ensure individuals receive :
guidance to help make informed choices and
support thru screening process
what are the 5 main screening programes
AAA
bowel cancer
breast cancer
cervical cancer
diabetic eye
what ages is screening for AAA
bowel cancer
breast cancer
cervical cancer
diabetic eye given
AAA = 65yr old men
bowel = men and women 60-74
breast = women 50-71
cervical = 24-49 (every 3 yrs) 50-64 (every 5 ys)
diabetic = aged 12
what is targeted screening
programmes aimed at specific GROUPS of ppl who have higher than average risk of developing disease being screened for
what is risk stratified screening
similar to targeted screening but is more tailored to individual risk such as test modality
what is opportunistic screening, give an example
tests recommended for certain groups but dont involve actively inviting ppl for a test
e.g chlamydia screening
what is screening as part of routine?give examples
screening done as part of provision of healthcare
e.g optometrist screening for glaucoma during eye examination
what does UK NSC stand for
UK national screening committee
define the term uptake and coverage in terms of screening
uptake = proportion of those invited and take up invitation to participate
coverage = proportion of eligible population who have been screened within a give time period
some ways of improving uptake :
self screening kits so ppl dont have to be seen by professional
screening for YSCD is a more recent thing due to the rise of it, what is this
young sudden cardiac death
- this ISNT heart attack, its a cardiac arrest
what age is screened for YSCD
14-35
what are some risks/limitations of screening
- not 100% accurate
- difficult decision making if positive results
- increased anxiety
- if negative result, doesnt mean it won’t develop in future
what 2 factors indicate how well a test performs/ measure robustness of testing
sensitivity
specificity
define sensitivity and specificity in terms of screening
sensitivity = ability of screening to identify ppl with condition as positive
specificity = ability of screening to identify healthy ppl as negative
e.g some tests can have high sensitivity but low specificity so they can find the condition better than they can find ppl without the condition
what does an urgent referral mean in england
specialist sees patient within 2 weeks
