Screening in practice: Reducing the psychological costs.

Advances in medical screening will result in more patients being screened for more conditions over a greater span of their lives. Screening programs must be implemented carefully if they are to be effective and if potentially adverse psychological consequences are to be avoided. Anxiety in patients participating in screening programs can be avoided or reduced by careful attention to patient needs at each stage of the screening process. Suggestions are offered on inviting people to participate in screening, on pretest preparation, on giving both positive and negative test results to patients, and on staff training.