A nurse is administering a tuberculosis (TB)skin test to a client who has acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).Which of the following results should the nurse anticipate when using this screening test?
A) Decreased positive predictive value
B) Decreased reliability
C) Decreased sensitivity
D) Decreased specificity

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Persons with immune deficiencies may have a negative tuberculosis skin test even though they are infected.Sensitivity is the extent to which a test identifies those individuals who have the condition being examined.AIDS is an acquired immune deficiency; thus,clients with AIDS may have a false-negative response to TB skin tests; that is,they have the disease but the test is not sensitive enough to detect infection in these individuals.Therefore,there is decreased sensitivity with those clients.A positive predictive value is the proportion of persons with a positive test who actually have the disease,interpreted as the probability that an individual with a positive test has the disease.In this case,it is likely that if the individual has the disease it will not be detected.Reliability relates to the consistency or repeatabilty of the measure.Because of the client's altered immune status,it is likely that the same results would be obtained if the test was to be repeated.Specificity indicates how accurately the test identifies those without the condition or trait.In this case,it is likely that a false-negative reading would be obtained,so the specificity not be accurate.

A Nurse Is Administering a Tuberculosis (TB)skin Test to a Client