Which statement best describes a false negative result in a diagnostic test?

Which statement best describes a false negative result in a diagnostic test?

• A. The test fails to identify a diseased person
• B. The test incorrectly identifies a healthy person as diseased
• C. The test has perfect accuracy
• D. The test reduces disease transmission

Answer: (A)

False negatives occur when a person actually has the disease but the test result comes back negative. The statement that the test fails to identify a diseased person describes exactly this situation. It highlights why sensitivity matters: a test with lower sensitivity is more likely to miss true cases, leading to missed diagnoses and potential delays in treatment. In contrast, a false positive would be when a healthy person is labeled as diseased, which is a different type of error. A test that has perfect accuracy would have no false negatives or false positives, and saying the test reduces disease transmission isn’t a description of a test error at all.

False negatives occur when a person actually has the disease but the test result comes back negative. The statement that the test fails to identify a diseased person describes exactly this situation. It highlights why sensitivity matters: a test with lower sensitivity is more likely to miss true cases, leading to missed diagnoses and potential delays in treatment. In contrast, a false positive would be when a healthy person is labeled as diseased, which is a different type of error. A test that has perfect accuracy would have no false negatives or false positives, and saying the test reduces disease transmission isn’t a description of a test error at all.