[Gynecological screening or cervical screening? Conflicts between clinical and public health viewpoints]

The "gynecological screening" that is composed of complex gynecological examination including colposcopy and cytological examinations has traditionally been incorporated into the gynecological protocol and practice. Over the past few decades, unfortunately, this screening practice has entrenched in the mind both of the gynecological community and the general public. As a result, the government-supported, organized cervical screening program of the population has come to a standstill. In order to adjust the cervical screening practice to the international public health recommendations in which cytology is the only screening test applied, the authors decided to involve primary care nurses and health visitors in smear taking, and to refer those with abnormal findings to a gynecologist for further clinical examination.