What is a key characteristic of sensitivity in medical tests?

Sensitivity is a crucial metric in evaluating the performance of medical tests, particularly in diagnosing conditions. It specifically measures the test's ability to correctly identify individuals who have the disease, which is defined as the proportion of true positives to the total number of actual positives (both true positives and false negatives). Therefore, a key characteristic of sensitivity is that it indicates how effectively a test is at detecting the condition it is designed to diagnose, thus ensuring that those who truly have the condition are identified and can receive appropriate care.

Understanding sensitivity allows healthcare providers to assess the risk of missed diagnoses, leading to timely interventions and better patient outcomes. High sensitivity is especially important in screening tests where identifying all cases of a disease is critical.