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How many true positives and false positives are produced in the fictional screening model?

The model produces 19 true positives and 99 false positives. True positives are calculated from the 20 diseased individuals using the 95%95\% sensitivity, while false positives are calculated from the 1,980 healthy individuals using the 5%5\% false positive rate (derived from 95%95\% specificity).

Conditions

  • Population size is 2,000.
  • Prevalence is 1%1\% (20 diseased, 1,980 healthy).
  • Sensitivity is 95%95\%.
  • Specificity is 95%95\%.

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Identify the number of diseased people: 20.
  2. Calculate true positives: 20×0.95=1920 \times 0.95 = 19.
  3. Identify the number of healthy people: 1,980.
  4. Determine the false positive rate: 1−0.95=0.051 - 0.95 = 0.05.
  5. Calculate false positives: 1,980×0.05=991,980 \times 0.05 = 99.
  6. Verify the totals: 19 true positives and 99 false positives.

Example

The script states: "Among 2,000 hypothetical people, 20 have the disease and 1,980 do not. The assumptions produce 19 true positives and 99 false positives..."

Common misconceptions

  • Calculating false positives from the diseased group.
  • Using sensitivity to calculate false positives.
  • Rounding errors when calculating 1,980×0.051,980 \times 0.05.

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