When and Whom To Screen

Abstract

Letters1 December 1993When and Whom To ScreenO. Thomas Feagan, MDO. Thomas Feagan, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-119-11-199312010-00022 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I was intrigued by the editorial [1] in the 1 June issue of Annals. It seems that the benefit of screening does not accrue to the average person in a population but to the persons who are found to have a particular disease. In the example given in the editorial, in a disease with a prevalence of 1:1000, screening is said to provide a maximum benefit of only 2 to 18 days. If only one person with the disease were found, that person might receive a benefit of 49.3 years of life.Little doubt exists that any ...REFERENCE1. Pauker SG. Deciding about screening. Ann Intern Med. 1993; 118: 901-2. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByHow Changes in Health Care Practices, Systems, and Research Challenge the Practice of Informed Consent 1 December 1993Volume 119, Issue 11Page: 1150-1152KeywordsHealth carePublic policy Issue Published: 1 December 1993 CopyrightCopyright © 1993 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...