Improved yield of endocervical cells on Papanicolaou smears in a residency setting

Techniques employed in the collection of cervical cytology show a wide range of detection rates of endocervical cells. The presence of endocervical cells is currently considered to be an important factor in assessing the adequacy of a Papanicolaou smear. In a clinical trial in a university-based family practice center, the yield of endocervical cells was compared during several interventions. These interventions included wetting the cotton swab, changing the number of slides collected, and introducing an extended tip spatula. Clinic physicians were divided into experimental and control groups. Significant improvement in the yield of endocervical cells was found in the group using the extended tip spatula. There was no consistent effect of level of residency training on endocervical cell yield during any intervention.