What is sensitivity in medical testing?

Sensitivity in medical testing refers to the test's ability to correctly identify individuals who have a particular condition. Also known as the true positive rate, it measures how often the test accurately returns a positive result when the condition is present 1 2.

For example, if a test has a sensitivity of 85%, it means that out of 100 people who have the condition, 85 will test positive, and 15 may receive a false negative result, indicating they do not have the condition when they actually do 1. High sensitivity is crucial to minimize false negatives, ensuring most people with the condition are correctly identified 2.