How growth monitoring performs against the criteria for a screening programme (based on Wilson and Jungner, with modifications proposed by UK national screening committee 1998)
| The condition | |
|---|---|
| (1) | Should be an important health problem2-150 |
| (2) | Epidemiology and natural history of the condition should be adequately understood and there should be a detectable risk factor, disease marker, latent period, or early symptomatic stage (Y) |
| (3) | All cost effective primary prevention interventions should have been implemented (NA) |
| The test | |
| (4) | A simple, safe, precise and validated screening test2-150 |
| (5) | Distribution of the test values should be known and a suitable cut off level agreed2-150 |
| (6) | The test should be acceptable to the population (Y) |
| (7) | Agreed policy on further diagnostic investigation of positive test results2-150 |
| Treatment | |
| (8) | Effective treatment or intervention; early treatment leading to better outcomes than late treatment (Y) |
| (9) | Evidence based policies on who should be offered treatment and the appropriate treatment (Y) |
| (10) | Clinical management of the condition optimised before introduction of screening (N) |
| The screening programme | |
| (11) | Evidence that the screening programme is effective in reducing mortality and morbidity (N) |
| (12) | Complete screening programme (test, diagnostic procedures, treatment/intervention) must be clinically, socially, and ethically acceptable to health professionals and the public (U) |
| (13) | Benefit should outweigh physical and psychological harm (U) |
| (14) | Opportunity cost should be economically balanced in relation to expenditure on medical care as a whole (U) |
| (15) | A plan for managing and monitoring the screening programme and agreed quality assurance standards (N) |
| (16) | Adequate staffing and facilities for testing, diagnostic treatment, and programme management (U) |
First annual report of the National Screening Committee. London: HMSO, 1998.
↵2-150 Discussed in text.
Y, yes; N, no; U, unknown; NA, not applicable.