The Axiom of Preventive Medicine states that people with ___ risk for a disease should be screened and we should treat ___ of those people.

The story behind the answer

Correct: low, all. Screening is aimed at large, generally low-risk, asymptomatic populations because, even if each person’s risk is small, most cases actually arise from this big group. By casting a wide net (using highly sensitive tests), we can catch disease earlier. Once a case is found, treating all who screen positive prevents more illness and death than waiting for symptoms or limiting care to only the highest-risk few.

Context tip: This reflects Geoffrey Rose’s population strategy—more cases come from the many at low risk than the few at high risk. Memory aid: “LA”—Low-risk get screened; All positives get treated.