cribado

Cribado is a term used in Spanish to describe processes that separate or evaluate items in a group according to certain criteria, most commonly particle size or health status. The word derives from criba, a sieve or screen, and can refer to both mechanical separation and diagnostic assessment. In general, cribado implies an initial filtering step intended to classify or identify elements with different characteristics for further action.

In industrial and material contexts, cribado refers to the separation of a mixture into fractions through screens, meshes, or classifiers. This is a common step in mining, construction, agriculture, food processing, and recycling, used to remove fines and oversized material and to prepare streams for subsequent processing. Equipment ranges from simple hand sieves to large vibratory screens, rotating trommels, and air classifiers. The primary purposes are to improve product quality, optimize process efficiency, and reduce handling costs.

In public health and medicine, cribado denotes screening programs that aim to detect diseases or risk factors in individuals who may not yet show symptoms. Screening relies on tests with known sensitivity and specificity and is followed by confirmatory diagnostics if results are positive. Organized cribado uses defined target populations and systematic follow-up, whereas opportunistic cribado occurs during routine care. Examples include cancer screenings (such as mammography or cervical cytology), newborn metabolic screening, and cardiovascular risk assessment. While cribado can enable earlier intervention and better outcomes, it also carries risks such as false positives, overdiagnosis, and resource use.

Cribado is also used in recruitment and security to describe processes that assess candidates or personnel for suitability or risk.