Development of a multiphasic screening examination for medical care patients-II. Sensitivity and specificity of the multiphasic screening examination

The multiphasic screening examination employed in the Medical Care Clinic of the Johns Hopkins Hospital consists of a battery of clinical tests, laboratory tests, a selfadministered questionnaire, and a physician interview. Its validity has been measured by a study of 139 persons who had both screening examinations and complete examinations within a few weeks of each other. The study revealed: 1. (1) The sensitivity of the screening examinations was 85.5 per cent, i.e., out of 100 individuals with one or more significant organic abnormalities, 85.5 were classified as positive, and hence were referred for further investigations by the screening examination. 2. (2) The specificity of the screening examination was 93.2 per cent, i.e., out of 100 individuals without significant organic abnormalities, 93.2 were classified as negative and thus were not referred for further investigations by the screening examination. 3. (3) The omission of the physician interview as a part of the screening examination decreased its sensitivity from 85.5 to 76.9 per cent, while increasing its specificity from 93.2 to 98.1 per cent.