Screening hospital patients for uterine cervical cancer: seven years' experience

Women patients admitted to a district general hospital with non-gynaecological conditions have been offered a cervical smear test. From 1979 to 1985, 4106 were tested out of 9280 patients interviewed. Cytological abnormalities (dyskaryosis of all grades) were detected in 90 patients (21.9 per 1000 screened). Of the women screened, 2826 (68.8 per cent) were aged 40 years or more. In 1979, 54 per cent had never had a test before, and this number fell to 26 per cent in 1985. The results show that cervical screening of non-gynaecological patients in hospital reaches many women who do not otherwise have smears taken and detects considerable disease. The seven years of the programme reported coincide with a large increase in screening by general practitioners, which is reflected in the screening history of the women in hospital.