Which statement about sensitivity and screening is true?

Which statement about sensitivity and screening is true?

• A. High sensitivity reduces false positives
• B. High sensitivity reduces false negatives
• C. High sensitivity increases true negatives
• D. High sensitivity decreases true positives

Answer: (B)

Sensitivity is the test’s ability to identify people who actually have the condition. It reflects how many of the actual positives the test catches, i.e., the true positive rate. When sensitivity is high, the test misses fewer real cases, so false negatives decrease. That’s why the correct statement is that high sensitivity reduces false negatives. False positives and true negatives are governed more by specificity than sensitivity; increasing sensitivity can even raise false positives if specificity isn’t also high. In screening, prioritizing sensitivity helps ensure cases aren’t missed, which is especially important when the consequence of missing a case is significant.

Sensitivity is the test’s ability to identify people who actually have the condition. It reflects how many of the actual positives the test catches, i.e., the true positive rate. When sensitivity is high, the test misses fewer real cases, so false negatives decrease. That’s why the correct statement is that high sensitivity reduces false negatives. False positives and true negatives are governed more by specificity than sensitivity; increasing sensitivity can even raise false positives if specificity isn’t also high. In screening, prioritizing sensitivity helps ensure cases aren’t missed, which is especially important when the consequence of missing a case is significant.