Report OL219 Cervical Cytology Screening training

This report is about the development of a cervical cytology multimedia training programme. In the UK cervical cancer causes the death of between two and three thousand women annually. However, it is one of the cancers that is entirely treatable if the disease is noted at an early stage. A screening programme of preventative medicine can readily detect warning signs of the onset of the disease. Cellular material scraped from the cervix is smeared on to a glass slide, fixed and stained for later microscopic study in the laboratory.

The problem with regular screening is that most samples taken do not possess cancer cells. Typically, in order to detect 1-2 cases, 1,000 smears will have had to be studied. There is thus a need for well-trained screeners, rigorous methodologies and consistent standards. The work requires great levels of concentration yet there are few incentives to inspire dedication and application to the task. Trainee screeners are in great demand, but may have minimal academic qualifications, and because of the pressure of medical workloads may have limited supervision or contact with clinical consultants.

Training screeners has traditionally been an expensive and time-consuming business, including intensive one-to-one tutorials with a qualified medical supervisor. However, a new training package funded by the Employment Department and developed jointly by Liverpool John Moores University, Interactive Designs Ltd. and the Royal Liverpool Women's Hospital provides a cost-effective multi-media solution to the challenge of training or retraining the UK's 2,000 cytology screeners.

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This page last updated 24 January 1999.