Understanding the false positive rate is crucial for several reasons: 1. Public Health Impact: High FPR can lead to unnecessary anxiety and stress among individuals who receive a positive result despite being healthy. 2. Economic Burden: False positives can lead to additional, often unnecessary, follow-up tests and treatments, increasing the healthcare costs. 3. Resource Allocation: In an outbreak situation, high FPR can strain public health resources, diverting them from true cases that need attention.
