Screening to Improve Health in New Zealand

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Screening to Improve Health in New Zealand

Date of publication: May 2003

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Summary
This report from the National Health Committee contains a set a screening assessment criteria which the committee believes should guide future decisions about existing and potential new screening in New Zealand.

In its report the National Health Committee (NHC) reflects that while screening has the potential to prevent the development of disease, prevent premature death and disability and improve quality of life, it has attendant costs and the potential to cause harm.

The NHC believes screening programmes should be based on good quality evidence, should do more good than harm, be provided at reasonable cost and should be delivered within the context of an effective quality assurance programme. It concludes that some current screening is not supported by good evidence that it is beneficial. That screening, the NHC believes, needs to be formally evaluated and essential elements put in place to ensure it is effective and safe.

The report notes that most screening in New Zealand is opportunistic, occurring outside formal programmes. Such screening, the report says, lacks formal co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation.

The NHC recommends the following criteria be used to assess screening programmes in New Zealand:

The condition is suitable for screening
There is a suitable test
There is an effective and accessible treatment or intervention for the condition
There is high quality evidence a screening programme is effective in reducing death and illness
Potential benefit of the test should outweigh potential harm
The health sector should be capable of supporting diagnosis, follow-up and programme evaluation
There is consideration of social and ethical issues; there is consideration of cost-benefit issues.

The NHC further recommends that screening programme participants should have access to the information they need to make an informed decision, that there is equity of access to the programme (the screening process does not exacerbate health inequalities by being less accessible to groups with poorer health status) and must make cultural sense to participants.

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This publication is available in PDF format below:

Screening to Improve Health in New Zealand (PDF, 324 KB)

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Publishing information
Date of publication: May 2003

ISBN (Document): 0-478-25307-9
ISBN (Internet): 0-478-25308-7

HP: 3624

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