Prevalence of abnormal Pap smears in rural family practice

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of abnormal Pap smears in rural family practice, to compare this to the published literature, and to determine if the prevalence of abnormalities is higher in the younger age group (<=35 years of age). A retrospective chart audit was performed on all Pap smears from four rural family practice sites during a 12-month period. Data collected were Pap smear result, patient's age, and interval since previous Pap smear. Statistical analysis was used to determine if the prevalence of abnormal Pap smears was consistent among the practices as well as similar to the three larger published studies. Also, chi-square analysis was used to compare the prevalence of abnormal Pap smears in the younger (<=35 years of age) versus the older (>35 years of age) age groups. There were 2,891 Pap smears reviewed, with 782 (27%) recorded as abnormal. The prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) (76 or 2.6%) was compared to the published literature and was found to be statistically significantly higher (chi square=772.194, P=0.000). The prevalence of abnormal Pap smears was higher in the younger than age 35 group when compared to the older than age 35 age group (chi square=20.953, P=0.000). Pap smear interval and age varied between the four practice sites, but the prevalence of CIN was not statistically different (chi square=3.154, P=0.368). The results of this study suggest that rural family physicians may encounter abnormal Pap smears at rates similar to those reported in the literature. This study also suggests that the prevalence of abnormal Pap smears may be higher in the younger groups in this population.