Which statement about screening is true?

• A. It diagnoses disease in all cases
• B. It is used only for symptomatic individuals
• C. It classifies asymptomatic individuals by likelihood of disease
• D. It eliminates the need for follow-up care

Answer: (C)

Screening is a process to identify people who do not have symptoms but may have a disease, using a test that sorts individuals by how likely they are to have it. The statement that screening classifies asymptomatic individuals by likelihood of disease is the best choice because it captures the purpose of screening: to triage who should receive further diagnostic evaluation.

Screening tests are not diagnostic and do not identify disease in everyone—many people who screen positive will not actually have the disease, and some with disease may be missed. That’s why a follow-up diagnostic test is needed to confirm the condition. Screening is applied to asymptomatic populations to catch disease early, with the aim of reducing morbidity or mortality, and it does not eliminate the need for follow-up care when results are abnormal.