false negative rate
The proportion of affected infants who receive normal screening results, representing missed cases in the screening program.
Full Definition
The false negative rate in newborn screening represents the percentage of truly affected infants who receive negative or normal screening results and are therefore missed by the screening program. This metric is critical for evaluating screening program sensitivity and is influenced by factors such as cutoff values, timing of sample collection, analytical performance, and the natural variability of biomarkers. While programs strive to minimize false negatives, reducing this rate too aggressively typically increases false positive rates, requiring careful balance in program design and implementation.
Usage
Usage note: Always hyphenate when used as a compound modifier; express as a percentage in statistical contexts.
In Context
- "The program's false negative rate for congenital adrenal hyperplasia was within acceptable limits at 2.1%." — quality assurance report
- "Lowering cutoff values reduced the false negative rate but significantly increased follow-up burden." — program evaluation