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by hnaccy 2281 days ago
>A test needs to be materially more accurate than the odds of having the disease to be worth anything.

Shouldn't it just need to be better than 50/50?

>Classic thought experiment: if 0.0001% of the population has a disease and a test is 99% effective and you test positive, what are the odds you have the disease? Answer: 1%.

My odds still changed dramatically and the cost of a false positive is just me hanging out at home and not visiting my parents. I'm not getting a biopsy or taking expensive medicene.