Sensitivity is defined as the percentage of patients with what outcome?

• A. False-positive test results
• B. True-negative test results
• C. True-positive test results
• D. False-negative test results

Answer: (C)

Sensitivity is defined as the percentage of patients with a specific outcome who test positive for a condition or disease. Specifically, it measures the proportion of true-positive results among all individuals who actually have the condition. Essentially, high sensitivity means that the test is effective at correctly identifying those who are sick, indicating that it minimizes the chance of missing a diagnosis.

In the context of the other options, false-positive test results, true-negative test results, and false-negative test results do not accurately represent the concept of sensitivity. False-positive results refer to outcomes where the test incorrectly indicates the presence of a condition, while true-negative results pertain to correctly identifying individuals who do not have the condition. False-negative results relate to individuals who have the condition but do not receive a positive test result, which is what sensitivity seeks to minimize. Thus, the correct answer focuses on true-positive results as it directly reflects the characteristic being measured by sensitivity.