false positive

noun

Definition of false positive

: a result that shows something is present when it really is not The test produced too many false positives to be reliable.

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“False positive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/false%20positive. Accessed 24 May. 2022.

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false positive

noun

Medical Definition of false positive

: a test result or an individual that is erroneously classified in a positive category (as of diagnosis) because of imperfect testing methods or procedures Another problem with the test … is that it also produces a number of false positives; that is, a number of neonates with elevated trypsin levels the first time they are tested are found not to have elevated levels on the second test. — The Journal of the American Medical Association The urine dipstick test for protein can give false positive results when various pharmacologic agents and gross hematuria are present or when urine pH is high …— Biff F. Palmer, Scientific American Medicine —often hyphenated when used before another noun … false-positive results that led healthy women to have unnecessary surgery.— Denise Grady, The New York TimesThe test can give false-positive readings, however, and it triggers a follow-up colonoscopy in 4% to 10% of cases.— Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street Journal — compare false negative