title: Trends in Cervical Cytology Screening and Reporting Practices: Results From the College of American Pathologists 2011 PAP Education Supplemental Questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The College of American Pathologists periodically surveys laboratories to determine changes in cytopathology practices. We report the results of a 2011 gynecologic cytology survey.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To provide a cross-sectional survey of gynecologic cytology practices in 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2011, a survey was sent to 1604 laboratories participating in the College of American Pathologists gynecologic cytology interlaboratory comparison education program and proficiency testing programs requesting data from 2010 on the following topics: terminology/reporting, cytotechnologist workload, quality assurance, reagents, and ancillary testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six hundred and twenty-five laboratories (39%) replied to the survey. The nonstandard use of "low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion" is used by most laboratories to report the presence of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion with possibility of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Most laboratories also report the presence or absence of cells from the transformation zone. Most respondents do not limit cytotechnologist screening workload during the work shift. Only about one-third of laboratories (188 of 582; 32%) use image-assisted screening devices. Rapid prescreening as a quality assurance measure is used by only 3.5% (21 of 594) of the laboratories. When used for screening, most laboratories use the imager for retrospective review of slides to detect human locator and interpretive errors. Most laboratories receive both liquid-based cytology samples (mainly ThinPrep, Hologic, Marlborough, Massachusetts) and conventional Papanicolaou tests. Expiration dates of liquid-based cytology test vials are not usually recorded.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The field of gynecologic cytology is evolving rapidly. These survey results offer a snapshot of national gynecologic cytology practices in 2010.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology and Area Laboratory Services, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland (Dr Crothers); the Pathology Cytology Laboratory, Mount Zion Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco (Dr Darragh); the Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Drs Tambouret and Wilbur); the Department of Cytopathology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Nayar); the Department of Pathology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois (Dr Barkan); the Department of Pathology, Magee-Women's Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Dr Zhao); the Department of Anatomic Pathology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Booth); the Pathology Department, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire (Dr Padmanabhan); the Department of Pathology, University of California and the Veteran's Administration Medical Center, San Francisco (Dr Tabatabai); the Department of Biostatistics (Ms Souers) and the Cytopathology Committee (Ms Thomas), College of American Pathologists, Northfield, Illinois; and the Department of Pathology, AmeriPath Indiana, Indianapolis (Dr Moriarty).
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Crothers
authors.forename: Teresa M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Darragh
authors.forename: Rosemary H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Tambouret
authors.forename: Ritu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nayar
authors.forename: Guliz A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Barkan
authors.forename: Chengquan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Christine Noga
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Vijayalakshmi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Padmanabhan
authors.forename: Z Laura
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Tabatabai
authors.forename: Rhona J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Souers
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Wilbur
authors.forename: Ann T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Moriarty
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards; D059021:Laboratory Proficiency Testing / Q000592:standards; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D016526:Workload