Sensitivity

sensitivity /sen·si·tiv·i·ty/ (sen?si-tiv´i-te)

1. the state or quality of being sensitive.

2. the smallest concentration of a substance that can be reliably measured by a given analytical method.

3. the probability that a person having a disease will be correctly identified by a clinical test.

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sen·si·tiv·i·ty (sns-tv-t)

n.

1. The quality or condition of being sensitive.

2. The capacity of an organ or organism to respond to a stimulus.

3. The proportion of individuals in a population that will be correctly identified when administered a test designed to detect a particular disease, calculated as the number of true positive results divided by the number of true positive and false negative results.

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Sensitivity

The proportion of people with a disease who are correctly diagnosed (test positive based on diagnostic criteria). The higher the sensitivity of a test or diagnostic criteria, the lower the rate of 'false negatives,' people who have a disease but are not identified through the test.

Mentioned in: Genetic Testing, Tumor Markers

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sensitivity,

n 1. the ability to feel or experience physical stimuli.
2. compassion or thoughtfulness toward a person or situation.

sensitivity, tactile,

n a capacity to sense the transference of vibrations from the parts of the instrument (e.g., handle, shank, and working end) to the fingers of the clinician.

sensitivity test,

n a laboratory method for testing antibiotic effectiveness.

sensitivity, tooth,

n the state of responsiveness of teeth to external influences such as heat, sugar, and trauma. May result from occlusal trauma, especially if the anatomic relation of the apical foramen to the traumatized tissue is such that the circulation of the pulp is disturbed.

sensitivity, tooth, hydrodynamic theory,

n a theory that attributes tooth sensitivity to the expansion and contraction of fluids within the dentinal tubules, thus causing the nerve endings to trigger pain responses in the tooth pulp. See hypersensitivity, dentin.

sensitivity, tooth, neurophysiology theory of,

n a theory that attributes tooth sensitivity to the stimulation of either A-type fibers, which cause short, sharp, localized pains, or C-type fibers, which produce dull, aching pains that may be spread across a wide area.

sensitivity training,

n the use of group dynamics to experiment with and alter behavioral patterns and interpersonal reactions. Also called
T group.

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sensitivity

the state or quality of being sensitive.

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antibiotic sensitivity, antimicrobial sensitivity

the degree of susceptibility of a bacterial isolate to individual antibiotics. Measured by growth in liquid culture media with serial dilutions of the antimicrobial, or on agar plates as measured by the width of the zone of growth inhibition around a special disk impregnated with the antimicrobial.

bacterial sensitivity

see antibiotic sensitivity (above).

contact sensitivity

see contact hypersensitivity.

diagnostic test sensitivity

the probability that a test will correctly identify the patients which are infected or have a specified non-infectious condition. A fundamental parameter for all diagnostic tests. A sensitive test will pick up the minutest quantity of antibody or other agent in a biological fluid. There are times when this is a desirable characteristic but the loss of specificity that usually accompanies the high sensitivity, needs to be taken into account. See also specificity.

radioimmunoassay sensitivity

the smallest amount of hormone which the assay can accurately detect above a zero amount.