Thank you to everyone for such a great uptake of HPV screening.
To keep us all in the loop, here are some current issues:
Why has correspondence from OH to our patients been paused?
There are two main reasons why correspondence has been paused:
- As per the most recent blog, some patients over age 70 received invitation letters erroneously. Click here for full details.
- Some patients with HPV + results and reflex cytology have received TWO result letters as these two pieces of data went to two different databases. The recommended next steps in these letters to our patients therefore may in fact have been different! Providers are advised to follow the next steps in the HPV pathway.
When do we select cytology only on the requisition?
- Using cytology only is NO longer recommended for cervical screening.
- You may choose ‘cytology only’ when the lab result has asked for another sample due to ‘unsatisfactory cytology’.
What is the importance of completing the test indication portion of the requisition?
- If the provider does not accurately complete this section, the lab defaults to assume a prior result that is average risk. This decision was made to avoid rejecting the specimen and making the patient repeat their screening. If the prior result was NOT normal, this will lead to the current lab reporting potentially making inaccurate next step recommendations.
- For example, if the patient had prior low grade cytology changes (LSIL or ASCUS) in either the last pap and the second to last pap, and the current result is low risk HPV+ and low grade cytology changes, the guidelines say the patient should be referred to colposcopy. If these prior results are not on the requisition, the current lab result will incorrectly say rescreen in two years.
- The same error will occur if we do not indicate in the test indication section of the requisition that there was colpo discharge with persistent cytology changes or HPV +.