Although central BMD measurement is preferable, peripheral measurement may be useful in screening low risk populations.
Although manufacturer guidelines stipulated a 'conditional positive' interpretation for low-risk individuals, conditional positive results were not separately reported because SFDPH did not screen low-risk individuals.
Non-invasive testing proved beneficial, both in screening low-risk patients and planning intervention in patients at higher risk.
Currently, aside from palpation and risk-assessment questionnaires, there is no prescreening test that can improve the accuracy, safety, and cost effectiveness of screening low-risk populations.
Screening low-risk individuals too frequently implies an inefficient use of limited health care resources.
The prevalence of abnormal MPI in the screened intermediate-/high-risk versus screened low-risk groups was similar (21 vs. 23%, P = 0.72) (Table 2).
If the cost-effectiveness of screening low-risk people was unacceptably low, then policy makers would need to consider whether to offer it at all.
They point out that the costs associated with screening low-risk individuals less frequently could be better spent achieving close follow-up of patients at higher risk.
In USA, M-CHAT-R/F has demonstrated to be an effective tool for screening low-risk toddlers, reducing the age of diagnosis by 2 years [ 95].
Third, since family history [ 29] and socioeconomic risk [ 30] are independent CVD predictors but are not incorporated into traditional calculators, physicians may be appropriately screening low-risk people with positive family histories or who come from impoverished areas.
More sensitive assessments of pleural abnormalities can be done with computed tomography (CT) scans; however, cost, potentially unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation, and risk of frequent false-positive findings reduce the utility of CT scans for screening low-risk individuals.
