title: The effect of the family physician on improving follow-up after an abnormal PAP smear.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the family physician on improving compliance with follow-up of abnormal smears in cervical cancer screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two Regional Health Authority districts in the east of The Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  Family practices with a national call system for cervical cancer screening and family practices with a family-practice-based call system. In a number of practices the family physicians had introduced a fail-safe system for follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow-up of women who participated in the first screening round and in whom a cytological abnormality had been diagnosed in the first smear. Criteria for adequate follow-up were defined with regard to the severity of the cytological abnormality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall compliance with follow-up in the study-group was 88%. The study showed a strong relationship between involvement of the family physician and compliance with follow-up. The compliance in practices that had a fail-safe system for follow-up was 93% compared to 82% in the practices without a fail-safe system. The highest follow-up was found in practices involved in the family-practice-based system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Palm
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kant
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Vooijs
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: van den Bosch
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Weel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000592:standards*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017010:Reminder Systems; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears