Pap test management review seeks input from Indigenous stakeholders

The National Cervical Screening Program has begun a review of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Screening to Prevent Cervical Cancer: Guidelines for the management of women with screen detected abnormalities. The current guidelines were released in 1994 and need to be updated in light of the current evidence on management of cervical disease.

A multi-disciplinary Guideline Review Group involving national experts met on 26 November 2001 to establish the main areas of review. Their terms of reference are:

1. Gain agreement on the terminology to be used for cervical cytology reporting
2. Review the scope and coverage of the current Guidelines to identify the areas that need revision
3. Revise the current clinical practice guidelines consistent with the terminology, best scientific evidence and practice and with regard to cost implications
4. Develop an implementation plan, including a plan for the production of a consumer version of the revised Guidelines

Membership of the group is made up of the following clinical disciplines; Cytologist, General Practitioner, Gynaecological oncologist, Gynaecologist, Pathologist and Virologist while the non clinical areas include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation, Consumers, Epidemiologists, Health Communication Specialist, Health Economist and Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. In addition the various professional associations and colleges are represented.

The group is being chaired by Dr Ian Hammond, a Gynaecological Oncologist from King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, Perth WA and Chair of the Gynaecological Oncology Subspeciality committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The Deputy Chair is Dr Annabelle Farnsworth Director of Cytopathology at Douglass Hanly Moir and Chair of the National Quality Assurance Working Group for the National Cervical Screening Program.

The Review Group welcomes comments from all stakeholders throughout the review process and will be consulting members of the public, health professionals and policy makers. Until 31 May 2002 it is seeking input from stakeholders about the main issues they feel need to be addressed within the terms of reference . If you wish to be part of the consultative process you can register at the web site www.csp.nsw.gov.au where you can also submit any comments or suggestions to the Review Group. For those who can not access the web site you can participate in the process and provide comments and suggestions in writing to the:

Guideline Review Group
C/- NSW Cervical Screening Program
PO Box 533
Wentworthville NSW 2145