What term describes the probability that a test will accurately detect those patients with the disease?

The correct term for describing the probability that a test will accurately detect those patients with the disease is sensitivity. Sensitivity measures how effectively a diagnostic test identifies individuals who actually have the disease. It is defined as the proportion of true positives correctly identified by the test out of all individuals who truly have the disease. High sensitivity means that the test is effective in identifying patients with the disease, which is crucial in clinical settings to ensure that cases are not missed.

Specificity, on the other hand, refers to the test's ability to correctly identify those without the disease, while positive predictive value is concerned with the proportion of positive test results that are true positives. Negative predictive value focuses on the proportion of negative test results that are true negatives. Each of these concepts plays an important role in evaluating the accuracy of diagnostic tests, but sensitivity is specifically about correctly identifying patients who have the disease.