Screening for Disease

Although many individuals and organizations may endorse the goal of screening programs, the details and implementation are often controversial. For some types of screening, it can be quite challenging to weigh the human and economic costs and benefits and determine a clear recommendation. For instance, in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Michael Barry (2009) indicates that “serial PSA [prostate-specific–antigen] screening has at best a modest effect on prostate-cancer mortality during the first decade of follow-up. This benefit comes at the cost of substantial over-diagnosis and overtreatment. It is important to remember that the key question is not whether PSA screening is effective but whether it does more good than harm.”

This week’s Learning Resources include articles about screening programs for four different diseases that contain potentially controversial recommendations. For this Discussion, you will select a disease and examine the epidemiological evidence to assess a recommendation for screening guidelines. In addition, you will consider possibilities for furthering policy to promote population health related to this disease.

To prepare:

• Review      the four articles concerned with screening and public policy listed in      this week’s Learning Resources. All four articles contain potentially      controversial recommendations for screening and prevention (See attached      files for these articles).
• Select      one article on which to focus for this Discussion.
• Analyze      how the epidemiologic data could be used to formulate policy for improving      population health.

Write a minimum of 550 words in APA format with at least 3 scholarly references from the list of required readings below. Include the level one headings as numbered below:

Post a cohesive scholarly response that addresses the following:

1) Summarize the recommendations of your selected article. Discuss ethical considerations and whether or not you believe the recommendations are justified.

2) Describe the epidemiological evidence in support of your position.

3) Identify whether the screening program you review is population-based or high-risk based and how that influences your assessment.

4) How can the reported data be used to move policy forward for improving population health around this issue?

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