American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

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How is sensitivity calculated in medical testing?

TP / (TP + FN)
TN / (TN + FP)
TP / (TP + FP)
TN / (TN + FN)

The correct answer is: TP / (TP + FN)

Sensitivity is a measure of a test's ability to correctly identify those with the disease, commonly known as true positive rate. It is calculated by taking the number of true positives (TP), which are the individuals correctly identified as having the condition, and dividing it by the sum of true positives and false negatives (FN), which are the individuals who actually have the condition but were not detected by the test. This formula reflects how well a test can detect the presence of a disease, indicating its effectiveness in identifying individuals who need further evaluation or treatment. High sensitivity is desirable, especially in screening tests, as it minimizes the chances of missing individuals with the disease, which can have critical implications for patient management and outcomes. The other options reflect metrics related to specificity, positive predictive value, or negative predictive value, but do not pertain to sensitivity as defined by the established formula.