Home › Health Sciences › Blood Donation & Transfusion › screening

screening

SKREE-ning /ˈskriːnɪŋ/

nounB1TOEFLIELTS

generalmedical

A preliminary testing or evaluation process used to identify individuals or blood units that may carry specific diseases, risks, or abnormalities.

Implies a broad, rapid test applied to healthy populations or donated units to catch potential issues before they cause harm.

The story behind the word. The word originally referred to a physical sieve used to sift coal or gravel, letting the fine pieces through while catching the large rocks. In medicine, we use 'screening' to metaphorically sift through blood donations to catch and discard any contaminated units.

Word relationships

evaluation: A broader term that can involve subjective judgment, whereas screening is usually a standardized protocol.
sifting: A physical or metaphorical sorting, too informal for clinical laboratory contexts.

Commonly confused with

diagnosis: Screening is a quick test to find potential risks in asymptomatic people, while diagnosis is a definitive test to confirm a specific disease in someone showing symptoms.

Word family

screen (verb): To test or evaluate for a specific disease or risk.

Collocations

donor screening
infectious disease screening
routine screening

Example sentences

"Rigorous donor screening is the first line of defense in keeping the national blood supply safe from infectious diseases." Public health safety

Memory hook

Think of a window screen that lets fresh air in but keeps the bugs out. Sifting out the bad stuff.

When not to use

Do not use to describe a definitive diagnostic test; screening is always a preliminary step that requires confirmation.

Fun facts

Before modern screening was introduced in the 1980s, thousands of hemophilia patients contracted HIV through contaminated blood transfusions.