title: Internal quality assurance in cervical cytology one laboratory's experience.
abstract: The results of an internal quality assurance exercise in one cervical cytology laboratory in England are presented, using different types of partial percentage re-screening of cervical smears. An overall false negative dyskaryotic rate of up to 4.3% was demonstrated, with the final cytology report diagnosis differing from the primary screening dignosis in 1.3% of cases. These finding are discussed, with the aim of helping to foster debate on the setting of national laboratory internal quality assurance standards.
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, UK.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Cross
mesh_terms: D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000473:pathology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000592:standards*