Routine audit is an ethical requirement of screening

Routine audit is an ethical requirement of screeningEditor-Cervical screening saves about 1300 lives each year in England and Wales. 1 We regard audit as an essential part of the screening programme and urge health authorities to continue this activity despite recent concerns about using patient information without informed consent.Poor quality screening is ineffective and may do more harm than good.Women screened in the NHS can expect a high quality service in which smears are properly taken and read to a high standard and the results stored to ensure appropriate management.Audit is part of the quality assurance that is integral to the screening that each woman receives.