title: Long-term effect of feedback and peer comparison on the sampling quality of cervical smears--a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: In a randomized controlled trial the effect of feedback and peer review directed at the sample-taking doctor (n = 179) on the sampling quality of cervical smears (n = 21,240) was studied. This paper reports the impact 6 and 12 months after the end of the intervention. Monthly feedback with peer comparison was related to a net improvement in the proportion of cervical smears without endocervical cells during the intervention period, as well as during a follow-up period lasting until 15 months after the end of the intervention. This improvement seemed to be related to a minimum of 50 or even 100 smears performed each year and was therefore not confirmed on clustered data analysis. There is a strong suggestion that the intervention also related to an increase of the number of smears showing cytological pathology, although this study lacked sufficient power to test this hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buntinx
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Knottnerus
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Essed
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Crebolder
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018024:Peer Review, Health Care; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011786:Quality Control; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data