A 48-year-old man attends the outpatient department complaining of right knee pain. As part of routine protocol, a nurse measures his blood pressure and finds it persistently elevated on repeat reading. He is then referred for evaluation of hypertension. This method of detection is best classified as:

• A Selective screening
• B Mass screening
• C Opportunistic screening (case finding) ✓
• D Multiphasic screening

Explanation

Opportunistic screening, also called case finding, means screening performed when a person consults a health facility for an unrelated complaint, rather than actively inviting an asymptomatic population. Mass screening covers the whole population regardless of contact, selective screening targets defined high-risk groups, and multiphasic screening refers to applying multiple tests simultaneously to a group. Here the trigger was an unrelated visit, hence case finding.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 26th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.