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Screening for cervical cancer: attitudes and policies among Auckland general practitioners
1Department of General Practice, University of Auckland School of Medicine.
Objects:
to survey Auckland general practitioners and evaluate their attitudes and policies toward screening for cervical cancer.
Methods:
an interviewer administered questionnaire asking questions based mainly on the recommendations of the 1985 Working Party on screening for cervical cancer and on some issues resulting from the Cartwright Inquiry.
Results:
the response rate was 96% of the 100 general practitioners approached. The mean screening interval was 24.1 months. Eighty-eight percent of Auckland general practitioners used a recall system for cervical cancer screening. Doctors more likely to report adherence to the recommendations of the Working Party on screening for cervical cancer were: members and associates of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners; doctors with less than 15 years experience; female doctors; doctors with a diploma of obstetrics and doctors in group practices.
Conclusions:
the majority of Auckland general practitioners adhere to the recommendations of the 1985 Working Party on screening for cervical cancer although there is some evidence of overscreening. Areas for improvement include the need for more general practitioners to have a recall system and the need to increase the rate of referral for women with two consecutive smears showing mild dysplasia.