Quality control and automation in cervical cytology

Pap smear is a clinical screening test and does not have 100% sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity of pap smear can be improved with proper collection techniques and education of all concerned. Implementation and maintenance of quality control measures help to detect, reduce and correct deficiencies in pap smear analysis. Advent of automated devices has provided an opportunity to further improve the sensitivity of pap smear. Automation in cytology, seemed wildly speculative a decade ago, is becoming a reality now. Areas of automation include: Data storage and retrieval by computers, automatic staining and coverslipping machines, sample preparation methods, screening process control-devices and imaging systems for searching and interpretation of abnormal cells.