To ensure that diagnostic methods are reliable and accurate, they undergo a process called validation. This involves assessing their sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values:
Sensitivity: The ability of a test to correctly identify those with the disease (true positives). Specificity: The ability of a test to correctly identify those without the disease (true negatives). Positive Predictive Value (PPV): The probability that a person with a positive test result actually has the disease. Negative Predictive Value (NPV): The probability that a person with a negative test result does not have the disease.
