Sensitivity is a key concept in medical testing, measuring the probability that a positive test result accurately identifies someone with the disease or condition being tested for. A highly sensitive test can detect the presence of the disease in nearly all individuals who have it, while a less sensitive test may miss cases, leading to false negatives. Understanding sensitivity is critical in selecting appropriate testing methods and interpreting results. In this article, we explore the definition of sensitivity, how it's calculated, and its importance in medical testing.
Sensitivity: The probability of a positive test result in someone with the pathology (the probability of a true positive). This could also be viewed as the ability of a test to be "sensitive" enough to detect all of the positive individuals in a group of likely candidates.