Identification of persons with dysglycemia: terminology and practical significance.
Allocating scarce resources for dysglycemia intervention requires identification of persons who will benefit. Identification has two steps: screening followed by diagnosis. Lowering a screening test's cut-off score identifies more persons with dysglycemia, but causes more normoglycemic persons to receive diagnostic testing. Raising a test's cut-off score reduces needless diagnostic testing, but increases the number falsely identified as not having dysglycemia. With limited budgets for intervention, raising a screening test's cut-off score may be appropriate. With ample budgets, lowering the test's cut-off score may be appropriate. Screening tests are most efficient in populations with high prevalence of dysglycemia.
Williamson
David F
DF
Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. dfwilli@sph.emory.edu
Narayan
K M Venkat
KM
D019540:Area Under Curve; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D001786:Blood Glucose