Edinburgh University Department of Pathology (EUPD) 

INTRODUCTION

For several years now laboratories in the UK reporting cervical cytopathology have participated in External Quality Assurance (EQA) schemes where a set of cervical smears is circulated to a number of laboratories. Members of staff of these laboratories are asked to submit their diagnoses anonymously. These opinions and diagnoses are collected centrally and the collated results showing the spread of diagnoses discussed by the participants. Participants whose opinions differ widely from those given by the majority of the participants have the opportunity to review the material and adjust their diagnostic criteria if necessary. It is believed that this method of quality assurance improves the consistency of diagnosis throughout the cervical screening programme.

The aim of these pages is to find out whether such a cervical cytopathology EQA scheme can be carried out using images distributed over the Internet. This may avoid not only the lengthy delays between viewing the material and finding out the opinions of the other participants but also the risks of breakage and fading of the slides which are inherent in any scheme using unique glass slides.

We would appreciate your cooperation in this project. This will entail looking at a number of images of microscope fields from cervical smears and giving your opinion on the diagnosis. All diagnoses are recorded anonymously. Although we ask you for some data about yourself this will not be linked to the diagnoses you submit. You will be asked for an identifier when you submit your answers. The reason for this is to allow you to compare your responses with those of the other participants when the results are published. Thus, you may choose to use a code number (e.g date of birth, initials or an alpha numeric string). Alternatively you may choose not too fill in this field but to note down your responses on a piece of paper to facilitate later comparisons of performance.

All cases used in these pages have been taken from slides used in the Scottish Cervical Cytopathology Proficiency Test Scheme and are used with permission of the management committee. Responsibility for any statements and opinions expressed on these pages rests, however, with the authors.

This page, and all contents including images, are Copyright © 1997 by E Gray and E Duvall, Edinburgh University, Department of Pathology, Teviot Place, Edinburgh Eh8 9AG, UK. and by designated contributors. All rights reserved.