Mass screening
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Mass screening, more simply called screening, is defined in health care as "organized periodic procedures performed on large groups of people for the purpose of detecting disease."[1] The goal of screening is the primary prevention, "the prevention of disease or mental disorders in susceptible individuals or populations"[2], of disease.
When is mass screening justified?
According to World Health Organization guidelines published in 1968:[3]
- The condition should be an important health problem.
- There should be a treatment for the condition.
- Facilities for diagnosis and treatment should be available.
- There should be a latent stage of the disease.
- There should be a test or examination for the condition.
- The test should be acceptable to the population.
- The natural history of the disease should be adequately understood.
- There should be an agreed policy on who to treat.
- The total cost of finding a case should be economically balanced in relation to medical expenditure as a whole.
- Case-finding should be a continuous process, not just a "once and for all" project.
References
- ↑ National Library of Medicine. Mass screening. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ↑ National Library of Medicine. Primary prevention. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ↑ Wilson JMG, Jungner G (1968). Principles and Practice of Screening for Disease (pdf). Wolrd Health Organization. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.