Wilson criteria for screening

The Wilson criteria for screening emphasise the important features of any screening program, as follows:

• the condition should be an important health problem
• the natural history of the condition should be understood
• there should be a recognisable latent or early symptomatic stage
• there should be a test that is easy to perform and interpret, acceptable, accurate, reliable, sensitive and specific
• there should be an accepted treatment recognised for the disease
• treatment should be more effective if started early
• there should be a policy on who should be treated
• diagnosis and treatment should be cost-effective
• case-finding should be a continuous process