Comments on: The paradox of better screening http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/12/12/the-paradox-of-better-screening/ Tue, 22 May 2012 08:04:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: The problem with healthcare « My Dumb Links http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/12/12/the-paradox-of-better-screening/comment-page-1/#comment-829 The problem with healthcare « My Dumb Links Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:57:57 +0000 http://healthcare-economist.com/?p=1683#comment-829 [...] to me. Does early detection inevitably lead to better outcomes? Better screening can seem to work without working. Wired magazine takes it at face [...] [...] to me. Does early detection inevitably lead to better outcomes? Better screening can seem to work without working. Wired magazine takes it at face [...]

]]> By: ZBicyclist http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/12/12/the-paradox-of-better-screening/comment-page-1/#comment-828 ZBicyclist Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:01:37 +0000 http://healthcare-economist.com/?p=1683#comment-828 I don't understand. Does stage 1 not lead to stage 2? Then if stage 1 is longer, and there's no cure, how is it possible that half the cases are stage 1 and half stage 2? Should these be "type1" and "type2" instead? I don’t understand. Does stage 1 not lead to stage 2? Then if stage 1 is longer, and there’s no cure, how is it possible that half the cases are stage 1 and half stage 2? Should these be “type1″ and “type2″ instead?

]]> By: Unrequired Reading {13.12.08} | Adrian Monck http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/12/12/the-paradox-of-better-screening/comment-page-1/#comment-827 Unrequired Reading {13.12.08} | Adrian Monck Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:01:09 +0000 http://healthcare-economist.com/?p=1683#comment-827 [...] The paradox of better screening | Healthcare Economist - Does better screening lead to improvements in health outcomes? Conventional wisdom holds that this is always true. For instance, catching breast cancer at an early stage greatly improves survival probabilities. However, early screening can lead to a statistical anomaly where better screening appears to improve mortality rates even when treatments are entirely ineffective. [...] [...] The paradox of better screening | Healthcare Economist – Does better screening lead to improvements in health outcomes? Conventional wisdom holds that this is always true. For instance, catching breast cancer at an early stage greatly improves survival probabilities. However, early screening can lead to a statistical anomaly where better screening appears to improve mortality rates even when treatments are entirely ineffective. [...]

]]> By: chris http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/12/12/the-paradox-of-better-screening/comment-page-1/#comment-826 chris Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:42:48 +0000 http://healthcare-economist.com/?p=1683#comment-826 Your post completely misses the point. "Statisticians may claim...", right and I can say "The sky is falling", but would it ever be published in a peer reviewed journal? The real paradox of better screening is the challenge posed by type I vs type II errors. What is the cost of false positives (telling someone they have a disease when they really don't), and false negatives (letting someone think they're don't have the condition when they do). Why not write something meaningful on a real screening test of questionable value like PSA? Like this http://www.jamesgagne.com/PSAParadox.shtml Your post completely misses the point. “Statisticians may claim…”, right and I can say “The sky is falling”, but would it ever be published in a peer reviewed journal?

The real paradox of better screening is the challenge posed by type I vs type II errors. What is the cost of false positives (telling someone they have a disease when they really don’t), and false negatives (letting someone think they’re don’t have the condition when they do).

Why not write something meaningful on a real screening test of questionable value like PSA? Like this http://www.jamesgagne.com/PSAParadox.shtml

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