A 52-year-old man attends the outpatient department for treatment of a skin infection. While examining him, the physician records his blood pressure, finds it elevated on repeat measurement, and initiates evaluation for hypertension. No formal community blood pressure screening programme exists in the area. This activity is best described as:
- A Mass screening
- B Selective screening
- C Opportunistic screening (case finding) ✓
- D Multiphasic screening
Correct answer: C. Opportunistic screening (case finding)
Explanation
Opportunistic screening, also called case finding, means applying a screening test to patients who present to health facilities for unrelated complaints rather than actively inviting defined populations. Mass screening covers the whole population irrespective of contact with health services, multiphasic screening applies several tests simultaneously, and selective screening targets defined high-risk groups identified in advance, none of which describes this encounter-driven detection.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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