title: Rapid rescreening of cervical smears as a quality control method.
abstract: The use of a rapid rescreening method as part of an internal quality control programme is reported. During a 12-month period 33,976 smears were reviewed (90.9% of total workload). Two-hundred and nineteen reports were altered, with 23 dyskaryotic smears identified, a false-negative rate of 0.07% a false-negative dyskaryotic rate of 1.7%. Smears reported as dyskaryotic were also subjected to the rapid screening method (with 86.8% correctly identified) as well as using the method to assess smears before the usual primary screen (with 67.2% of dyskaryotic smears correctly identified). Rapid rescreening as a quality control method is effective and although it has limitations, should replace 10% proportional rescreening as the preferred daily quality control method of choice.
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, UK.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Cross
mesh_terms: D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011786:Quality Control; D013997:Time Factors; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*