Sensitivity vs Specificity

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Sensitivity vs Specificity

Sensitivity and specificity are terms that describe how good something is at correctly identifying a condition (e.g., people within a population that have a disease). Sensitivity focuses on finding true positives or not missing cases. Specificity focuses on finding true negatives.

In ME/CFS research, sensitivity and specificity particularly come into play when trying to develop a diagnostic tool. Currently, there is no objective way to diagnose ME/CFS, so a diagnostic tool that is both sensitive and specific is crucial.

OMF’s Melbourne ME/CFS Collaboration has made strides toward developing a diagnostic algorithm for ME/CFS. Read more about it, including the sensitivity and specificity of the algorithm in the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-024-00669-7

Illustration of sensitivity and specificity in diagnostic testing, showing identification of true positives and true negatives using magnifying glass icons and groups of people.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME / CFS) Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), Fibromyalgia Leading Research. Delivering Hope.Open Medicine Foundation®

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