In laboratory testing, which term refers to the ability of a test to correctly identify true positives?

The ability of a test to correctly identify true positives is known as sensitivity. Sensitivity refers to the proportion of actual positives that are correctly identified by the test, indicating how well the test detects the condition it's supposed to identify. A high sensitivity means that the test accurately identifies most patients who have the disease, which is particularly important in screening situations where it’s crucial to catch as many cases as possible.

In contrast, specificity refers to the ability to correctly identify true negatives, predictive value relates to the likelihood that a positive or negative test result corresponds accurately to the actual presence or absence of the disease, and reliability concerns the consistency of test results over repeated trials. Understanding these terms is vital in evaluating the performance of laboratory tests and determining their appropriateness for clinical use.