title: Cervical smears: a questionable practice?
abstract: Screening for carcinoma of the cervix by cervical smears satisfies none of the criteria which would provide its justification. It is an expensive contribution to ill health because the harms exceed the possible benefits by a substantial margin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McCormick
mesh_terms: D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology