Assessing the Effectiveness of Community Screening Programs

Community screening programs seek to detect disorders or risk factors in seemingly healthy persons. The following seven guidelines for determining whether a screening program is likely to be effective are proposed and discussed: (1) Has the effectiveness of the program been demonstrated in a randomized trial? (2) Are efficacious treatments available? (3) Does the burden of suffering warrant screening? (4) Is there a good screening test? (5) …