Although they look similar, there are multiple differences between Screening and Surveillance.
SCREENING | SURVEILLANCE |
Screening is the active search or process of detection for disease or disorders among apparently healthy people. | Surveillance is the systematic, ongoing and analytic process of monitoring to scrutinize disease condition. |
Employs in average risk populations to stratify into higher and lower risk of disease | The ongoing follow up of patients at increased risk of disease. |
It is a test done for infection or disease in a population or individual who are not seeking health care. | It is the monitoring done for any disease condition to find out about the prevention and control measures. |
Based upon one criterion or cut off point | Based upon the findings of clinical reports mainly. |
Not a basis for the treatment | A basis to refer to certain treatment or interventions. |
The initiative comes from the investigator or agency providing care. | The initiative comes from policy makers, managers, epidemiologists, etc. |
Gives a better idea of progress of disease from sub clinical or covered to clinical or overt. | Gives a better idea for the prevention and control of diseases |
It is a part of secondary prevention | It is a part of primary and tertiary prevention. |
Has mass screening that indicates large- screening of whole population groups. | Active surveillance has special searches for cases limited to specific disease in intervals of time. |
Selective screening refers to selected high risk groups in a population. | Passive surveillance is for mainly long term secular trends at one time. |
Multiple screening refers to combination of the mass and selective screening. | Sentinel surveillance helps identify rapidly changing health condition of a specified disease at a certain time. |
Used for Case detection, control of disease, research, etc. | Used for mainly prevention and control. |
Examples of screening tests include mammography for breast cancer, pre-natal amniocentesis for detecting congenital malformations, or psychological tests to identify early signs of cognitive decline. | Examples of surveillance includes Surveillance of communicable disease, Non communicable disease, Influenza, HIV/AIDS in Thailand, etc. |
References and for more information:
http://www.med.uottawa.ca/sim/data/screening_e.htm
https://oshwiki.eu/wiki/Health_screening_and_surveillance
http://err.ersjournals.com/content/21/124/105
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/medicalsurveillance/screening.html
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/medicalsurveillance/
Park. Park’s Textbook of preventive and social medicine. Banarsidas Bhanot Publishers. 23rd Edition 2013
Karki, Paudel, Shah, Jha, Basel. A Textbook of Epidemiology. Makalu Publication House. 1st Edition 2014.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ajim.4700260303
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3322/CA.2007.0018
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0166071
https://www.gastro.org/news/colonoscopy-screening-or-surveillance
http://www.hse.gov.uk/health-surveillance/index.htm
https://www.cancerwa.asn.au/resources/2014-07-07-GP-Screening-Card.pdf