A very sensitive test is negative in a patient. What can be said?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. The disease is unlikely
- Step 1: High sensitivity means few false negatives.
- Step 2: A negative result from a highly sensitive test helps to rule disease out, though not absolutely.
Answer
The disease is unlikely.
Why not the others: The disease is certain to be absent: No test is perfect, so certainty is not possible. The disease is certain to be present: A negative test does not confirm disease. The test has no value at all: Such a test is valuable for exclusion.
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