Screening: When is it Useful, When is it Not?

One of the most powerful tools in public health is screening - whether for cancers like cervical or breast cancer, genetic abnormalities, or infectious diseases.
Screening can be transformational, detecting disease early and preventing it taking hold. It is, however, often useless and can be harmful, and its advantages are often exaggerated.
This talk will consider the situations where screening can help, where it does harm, and why these are usually predictable.
A lecture by Chris Whitty
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and...
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[@rodrigocampos3558]

That was an excellent video. Very informative indeed. I wonder how much Dr Whitty believes things have changed between the date of the lecture and now.

[@user-ij1np6xw5f]

He is excellent. Thank you very much.

[@JCResDoc94]

Φ 16:50 so important for ppl to understand. 90 spec/ 90 eff w low prevalence gives you a ppv of 50% true

[@josephswafford7578]

Think. You. Are. A. Genius. Sir.

[@JCResDoc94]

*Φ **56:30** infectious disease screening*

[@JCResDoc94]

*Φ **7:40** those are the main reasons screening, quarantine/lockdowns & even contact tracing are not recommended in a pandemic w a respiratory illness that incubates in days of finding a case, cf the public health harms of the over intervention of lockdowns, quarantine ect.* gr8 vid.

[@brainstormingsharing1309]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@davidjohnston4240]

The comments on high cholesterol and catching it early and lowering it (presumably with statins) are way behind the science.

[@HomemadeBrownies1]

Thanks David on RUclips. I’m so glad we have your expert view on the matter. You obviously know far more about prevention of CVD than the Chief Medical Officer for England and Chief Scientific Advisor for DHSC.