Screening is a health service in which members of a specific population who do not necessarily understand that they are at risk of, or already suffering from, a disease or its complications, are asked questions or offered a test to identify individuals who are more likely to be treated rather than harmed by further tests or treatment to reduce the risk of the disease or its complications.
Screening is a health care service in which members of a particular population who do not necessarily understand that they are at risk for a disease or already have a disease or its complications are asked questions or given a test to identify individuals who are more likely to receive help, rather than being harmed by further tests or treatment to reduce the risk of the disease or its complications.
Screening for diabetic retinopathy meets the criteria of the World Health Organization’s screening programs, which were formulated in 1968 by Wilsony and G. Jungner, and include the following:
• the condition (disease) under examination should (should) be an important public health problem at the present time
• the natural course of the disease is well known
• the disease can be detected at an early or latent stage
• there are effective and accepted treatment options for this stage
• inexpensive, sensitive and specific tests are available to
determine the early stage
• screening tests should be repeated at regular intervals
• the risk of harm from the diagnostic test used must be less than the likelihood of benefit
• the cost of the program must be justified by its benefits
“Principles of politics. Screening in Europe”. Walter W. Holland Susie Stewart Cristina Masseria - WHO Regional Office for Europe. European Observatory. 2008;71.
[internet]. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/108962/E88698R.pdf