screening instruments

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screening instruments Measuring instruments used in epidemiological studies and social surveys to screen for illness in community (non-patient) samples. The aim is to identify untreated illness; that is, illness independent of contact with a clinician. Many of the instruments use quite brief symptom checklists, often offering a general measure of health and ill-health, rather than of specific illnesses. Despite their deficiencies, measures such as the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) are widely used in social research.

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