13.1.2

13.1.2 Describe what is meant by a screening pathway

When asking the lay members of the public they often see a "screening pathway" as a 'test' they undertake to determine if they have (or dont have) condition X, where as in actuality its series of steps in pathway, one of which being a rudimentary test (in the case of diabetic eye disease Visual Acuities & fundus photography) is performed, which if revealing a positive result (irrespective if its a false positive) would then trigger further tests / diagnostic investigations. The screening provider would then offers information, further tests and treatment. This is to reduce associated problems or complications.

Such screening pathways are effectively the process of identifying healthy people who may have an increased chance of a disease or condition. In theory such a pathway would include the following steps, giving the right information to help the individual decide if they wish to accept the offer of screening, having trained professionals, making the service accessible, making sure the test and follow up treatment is of high quality, safe and accessible and making sure there is support available for the individual along the whole pathway. As such an NHS screening programme will only be put in place if all areas of the pathway can be covered safely. All areas of the pathway are subject to Quality Assurance also.

It should be noted that often public expectations about screening don’t always match what screening pathways can deliver. There are numerous stories found in a variety of magazines and online discussions, of people who believe they were saved, (especially by cancer screening). Likewise there is a similar group of stories about the "failure" of screening to detect a disease, and that screening programmes are dictated purely by financial calculations.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-population-screening-explained
https://senseaboutscience.org/activities/making-sense-of-screening/