Quality assurance by continuous recording of the microscope status.
OBJECTIVE
To assess continuous recording of the microscope status for quality assurance.


METHODS
Using a special microscope with coordinate registration and objective decoding, 8,653 cervical smears were read by five experienced cytotechnologists. Cytotechnologists could check their screening pattern on a TV monitor. Stage position and magnification were registered every 20 msec.


RESULTS
The average screening time per case was 3.5 minutes followed by an approximately two-minute intercase interval. Daily workload profiles were generated to check compliance with workload regulations. Average screening time over a day and over a week was rather constant.


CONCLUSIONS
Our experience demonstrates that continuous coordinate registration can be easily implemented as a method of quality assurance in routine cytology.
Schenck
U
U
Cytological Institute of the Bavarian Cancer Society, Germany.
Planding
W
W
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011786:Quality Control; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards