Comments on: False Positive or False Negative: Which would you prefer?

By: Ahsan Sayed

Ahsan Sayed — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:52:27 +0000

I definitely agree with this article. Nothing is worth the cost of losing your life.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:18:02 +0000

I agree that a false positive is preferable to a false negative when it comes to early treatment for disease. However, I also think it is important to consider the emotional stress that comes with a false positive. Emotional stress can also have an adverse effect on health and I think patients should be informed of the possibility of a false positive until it is certain they have a disease.

By: Javier

Javier — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:11:38 +0000

Well stated Nicole. I agree that false negatives result in lost opportunities for early detection that can prove to be fatal in the long run. This holds true for BSE’s so the questions is “What can be done to improve screening efforts or screening procedures? Information is great and is necessary to raise awareness but how do we ensure that people are using what they learn? We need to do a better job of educating and empowering men and women. We need to take charge of our health and encourage others to do so. Hopefully with the new health care reform bill primary prevention will be a main priority.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:51:17 +0000

I think everyone would prefer a false positive, but the trouble with choosing between a false positive and false negative is the money/time spent for a false positive and the lost opportunity for early detection in a false negative.