Acronym

NPV - Negative Predictive Value

Negative Predictive Value

Probability that a negative test result is truly negative

Expansion

Negative Predictive Value

Purpose

Useful for excluding disease

Clinical Context

Negative predictive value equals true negatives divided by total negatives. High negative predictive value useful for screening to rule out disease.

  • Positive predictive value
  • Sensitivity
  • Specificity

Key Points

  • Negative predictive value high when sensitivity high; test with high negative predictive value useful for exclusion