Cataracts of the eye may be difficult to diagnose in the early stages. In a stud

Question

Cataracts of the eye may be difficult to diagnose in the early stages. In a study to evaluate the reliability of their diagnoses, two physicians each examined the same 1,000 eyes, without knowing the others diagnoses. Each physician found 100 eyes with cataracts. 1. Does this mean that diagnoses are reliable? 2. Explain your position 3. How does reliability affect screening and treatment programs for a condition? 4. What are the socio-political ramifications of understanding reliability prior to implementing a screening program?

Explanation / Answer

The diagnoses made by the two physicians might not be reliable necessarily. This is because they may not have diagnosed the same 100 patients with cataract. In order to confirm their reliability, one needs to check whether those 100 persons diagnosed are the same for both the physicians. The ability of the measuring instrument to provide consistent results even on repeated trials is called reliability. Based on this, the provided information cannot assure that the results are reliable.

Reliability plays an important role in screening and treating a patient. A reliable test will give consistent results with repeated trials. Any inconsistency indicates that the test is not reliable. Treating a patient without confirming the condition will lead to few other health issues. As some diseases do not produce early symptoms, reliability is of utmost important in screening such patients.

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