Does liquid-based cytology improve smear-taking performance in an ordinary clinical setting?

Does liquid-based cytology improve smear-taking performance in an ordinary

clinical setting?

P.H. McGough, M.A. Bigrigg, C. Thow

The Sandyford Initiative, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Liquid Based Cytology (LBC) has demonstrated its applicability to a national

screening programme. In trial settings, there is a reduction in unsatisfactory

smears compared with conventional cytology. This audit demonstrates the changes

to cytology results shortly after the introduction of liquid-based cytology in a

non-trial clinical setting in a busy sexual & reproductive health clinic.

These results were consistent for individual smear takers, although numbers of

smears taken in each time period were small for some staff. This audit shows

that expected changes to cytology results were obtained, and that staff did not

require a long time to learn to take smears successfully using the new technique.