The phrase "a decrease of specificity" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing a reduction in the level of detail or precision in a particular context, such as scientific research or communication.
Example: "The new guidelines resulted in a decrease of specificity, making it harder to identify the exact parameters for the study."
Alternatives: "a reduction in specificity" or "a loss of specificity."
Combined screening revealed a much higher sensitivity, at the cost of a small decrease of specificity, and a higher NPV at the next screening interval (after 5 years) than cytology alone.
The performance characteristics of cytology, cytology and hrHPV combined, and hrHPV testing, for the detection of lesions ⩾CIN3 are given in Table 3. Combined screening revealed a much higher sensitivity, at the cost of a small decrease of specificity, and a higher NPV at the next screening interval (after 5 years) than cytology alone.
For the examination at rest, a lower cutoff value would have led to an increase of sensitivity but a crucial decrease of specificity.
The association of these three markers increased sensitivity with a slight decrease of specificity [ 4- 6, 18].
We presume that flaws in physicians' records correspond to lack of sensitivity rather than specificity and, accordingly, the simultaneous utilization of multiple data sources will notably improve sensitivity without a significant decrease of specificity.
The advantage of using multiple probes is the increased coverage of different strains of a species, but the disadvantage is the potential decrease of specificity due to the unpredictable cross-hybridizations caused by other irrelevant fungal species.
19 Knottnerus 20 explained the increase of sensitivity and decrease of specificity by referral processes in a methodological framework.
The ROC curve shows the extent to which the method is able to obtain as many positive results (increase of sensitivity) as possible at the expense of increasing false positive predictions (decrease of specificity).
This result is consistent with the decrease of specificity for single nucleotide mismatch with increasing probe length, as shown in Figures 3 and 7.
