Medical screening: principles and practice

This article initially considers the definition of screening, and then the ways in which screening programmes can be run. The criteria that should be fulfilled when establishing effective screening programmes and the extent to which some programmes fulfil these objectives are discussed. The costs of screening, both to the providers of the service and the clients, as well as the problems associated with mass screening are addressed. This paper aims to increase the awareness of radiographers to the broader issues in the arena of medical screening where the benefits of screening may not be as clear cut as they seem initially.