The Quality of Cervical Cancer Screening: A Primary Care Perspective

Abstract

The bulk of cervical cancer screening is performed by primary care providers; mostly nurses and physicians. The literature regarding the quality of this screening is largely described from three perspectives; clinical, laboratory, and public health. This article describes the primary care perspective regarding issues of quality in cervical cancer screening and suggests areas for im provement. The authors discuss how effectiveness of the test, sampling methods, interpretation by the labo ratory, and reporting results impact on the quality of cervical cancer screening. Other factors which influence the quality of screening such as access to care, recall intervals, communication with the patient, costs of test ing, and organizational issues are also reviewed.