Cervical Screening in North Antrim

SINCE the cytology service was begun in this area cervical smears have been taken routinely at postnatal and gynaecological clinics. Positive smears thus obtained have been purposely excluded from the present series which refers only to asymptomatic women. Initial requests to practitioners to refer such patients met with a very disappointing response and it was decided to begin an organised programme, the purposes of which were threefold. (a) For the early detection of malignant and premalignant disease of the uterine cervix and to gain information about its incidence in asymptomatic women in the community. (b) To stimulate the interest and enthusiasm of our medical colleagues in general practice, in local authority and family planning clinics, and that of the general public in this aspect of preventative medicine. (c) To determine the best approach to the task of screening a community for cervical cancer and to highlight some of the problems and difficulties encountered. At the six months' Obstetric Statistical Review meeting held at the Route Hospital in February, 1965, local practitioners were invited to submit lists of all female patients under their care over the age of 30. (All patients below this age who requested a cervical smear were also accepted.) These patients were sent the following letter inviting them to attend the outpatients department on a Wednesday afternoon to have a cervical smear taken.