Prospective Screening Test Evaluation — Forward-Looking Diagnostic Accuracy Study

A prospective screening test evaluation enrolls participants before the outcome is known, applies the screening test and the reference standard in temporal sequence, and measures how accurately the test identifies individuals with or without the target condition. This forward-looking design minimizes workup bias and spectrum bias, producing estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values that are more generalizable to real clinical or public-health screening contexts than retrospective alternatives.