Population Screening

Despite limitations, population screening can still be very advantageous for improving public health. However, for population screening to be beneficial, a disease should meet several conditions. There should be a high rate of occurrence of the disorder or a significant number of individuals who carry the disease in the high-risk population; the disorder could potentially have a harmful impact on an individual's health, if not identified and treated; the disorder must be treated or prevented though not necessarily cured; testing should be minimally invasive, easily carried out, and relatively inexpensive; and the testing method must have been studied and scientifically demonstrated to be accurate, reliable, and confirmed by follow-up testing. In addition, testing should be performed only after informed consent is obtained from the individual or responsible party.