Predictive Value

Predictive value refers to the effectiveness of a medical test in correctly identifying whether someone has a particular condition. The positive predictive value (PPV) indicates the probability that a person with a positive test result truly has the condition. Conversely, the negative predictive value (NPV) shows the likelihood that a person with a negative result genuinely does not have it. These values help assess how reliable a test is in real-world settings, taking into account factors like disease prevalence and test accuracy. Essentially, predictive value measures how well a test's results translate into the actual presence or absence of a condition.