Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28511418›Full record

ReviewJournal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR2017

Screening in Public Health and Clinical Care: Similarities and Differences in Definitions, Types, and Aims - A Systematic Review.

Mark Speechley, Abraham Kunnilathu, Eby Aluckal, M S Balakrishna, Benoy Mathew, Eldhose K George

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Screening strategies for atrial fibrillation in the elderly population: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2023
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Implementation of a School Nurse-Led Case-Finding and Targeted Anxiety Testing Protocol (SBIRT-Informed) in an Elementary School: A Quality Improvement Initiative.The Journal of school nursing : the official publication of the National Association of School Nurses · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Ethico-Political Aspects of Conceptualizing Screening: The Case of Dementia.Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy · 2021
    Article
  17. Review
  18. Malaysia's Health Systems Response to COVID-19.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Mark SpeechleyProfessor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Abraham KunnilathuResearch Associate, Department of Public Health, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Eby AluckalAssociate Professor, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Mar Baselios Dental College, Kothamangalam, Ernakulam, Kerala, India.
M S BalakrishnaAssociate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Malabar Dental College and Research Centre, Edappal, Malappuram, Kerala, India.
Benoy MathewProfessor, Department of Orthodontics, Annoor Dental College and Hospital, Ernakulam, Kerala, India.
Eldhose K GeorgeProfessor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Annoor Dental College and Hospital, Ernakulam, Kerala, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe concept of screening can be many times misleading to many people. This may be partly due to the way screening is described and explained in textbooks and journal articles.

aimTo review prominent public health and epidemiology textbooks, dictionaries, and relevant journal publications for definitions and examples of screening, with the aim of identifying common usages and concepts, as well as sources of potential confusion. MATERIALS AND

methodsCommonly available epidemiology and public health textbooks and peer reviewed journals were searched for definitions and examples of screening. The search located seven journal articles, 10 textbooks, and one dictionary. The search platforms used were Pubmed, BIOSIS, EMBASE, Medline-OVID and Scopus under the Epidemiology and Biostatics subject head listed with Life Sciences.

resultsDescriptions of screening give varying emphasis to whether it is a test or a program, the aims of screening, the setting in which it is conducted, eligibility criteria, who initiates and who is intended to benefit and whether the condition being screened is an infectious or chronic disease or a risk-elevated state. Four essentially different 'types' of screening are described, using seven terms and occasionally contradictory examples. The detection of asymptomatic infectious cases is gradually changing from screening to surveillance as part of infection control.

conclusionVoluntary screening programs rely on high participation to be effective and support and trust of the public are essential for the continued success of the public health profession. Consistent terminology is important for patients, providers and policymakers to understand what screening is and is not. Clear definitions are needed if we are to evaluate and communicate the risks and benefits of screening in public health.

Indexed as

Clinical practicePublic health screening programsSurveillance

Identifiers

PMID28511418
PMCPMC5427344

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.