What does high specificity in a diagnostic test indicate?

High specificity in a diagnostic test refers to the test's ability to accurately identify individuals who do not have the disease. This means that if the test returns a positive result, it is very likely that the individual actually has the disease, which corresponds to a low rate of false positives.

When a test has high specificity, it is effective at confirming the disease in individuals who have a positive result. This is particularly valuable in clinical practice, as it allows healthcare providers to make more confident decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment. In contrast, a test with low specificity would result in more false positives, meaning many healthy individuals would be incorrectly identified as having the disease.

In summary, high specificity indicates that when the test result is positive, it strongly suggests the presence of the disease, reinforcing the notion that positive tests typically confirm the disease's existence.