​‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍​Lung cancer screening – diagnostic and screening tools

‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌​‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍​Lung cancer screening – diagnostic and screening tools

This is an essay which discusses the lung cancer screening and the available diagnostic and screening tools.

​‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍​Lung cancer screening – diagnostic and screening tools

Firstly, identify a lung cancer diagnostic or screening tool. What is its purpose, and what age group it targets. Has testing on this specific tool done?

Secondly, discuss the predictive ability of the test. For instance

• how do you know the test is reliable and valid?
• What are the reliability and validity values?
• What are the predictive values?
• Is it sensitive to measure what it has been developed to measure? For instance, HIV, or depression in older adults, or Lyme disease?
• Would you integrate this tool into your advanced nursing practice based on the information you have read about the test, why or why not?

Thirdly, the below information may be helpful in about ​‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍​Lung cancer screening FAQ:

1. What is the meaning of…?
2. Predictive value of a test:  (PV) is a measure of the probability of a positive test result when the disease is present.
   • Pos‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍itive predictive value:  The number of the people who test positive who actually have the disease.
   • Negative predictive value: The number of the people who test negative who truly do not have the disease.
3. Sensitivity:  measure of a screening test’s ability to accurately identify disease when it is present. The higher the sensitivity of a tool, the fewer the cases that will go undetected and the greater sensitivity of the tool to detect disease.
4. Specificity:  measure of a screening test’s ability to correctly identify those with the disease and to exclude the persons who do not have the disease.  The higher the specificity of the screening tool the fewer persons will be incorrectly identified at-risk.
5. Validity:  ability of the tool to actually measure wh‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍at it says it measures.

Lastly, information for lung cancer screening screening may be found at https://www.ahrq.gov/prevention/guidelines/guide/index.html