Quinquennial cervical smears: every woman's right and every general practitioner's responsibility

Abstract

Out of 558 women aged 16 to 64 who were registered with one general practitioner, 459 were eligible to be screened for cervical cancer. Even though the practice had been taking cervical smears for many years, they were predominantly from women under 35. Of the eligible women between 35 and 64, 111 (37%) had never had a smear. After short term intensive screening the uptake rates, defined by a smear done within the past five years, rose to 100% for women under 35, 94% for those aged 35 to 64, and 96% for all eligible women. Screening was rewarding both in its clinical yield and in the income generated by item of service payment. The success of screening was largely due to the participation of practice nurses in taking smears, and to a new method of recording smear results and claims for them. Some women, however, refused to have cervical smears.