Rethinking How to Measure the Appropriateness of Cervical Cancer Screening
Authors: Natasha K. Parekh, Julie M. Donohue, Aiju Men, Jennifer Corbelli, Marian Jarlenski
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters19 September 2017Rethinking How to Measure the Appropriateness of Cervical Cancer ScreeningNatasha K. Parekh, MD, MS, Julie M. Donohue, PhD, Aiju Men, MS, Jennifer Corbelli, MD, MS, and Marian Jarlenski, PhD, MPHNatasha K. Parekh, MD, MSFrom University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this author, Julie M. Donohue, PhDFrom University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this author, Aiju Men, MSFrom University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this author, Jennifer Corbelli, MD, MSFrom University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this author, and Marian Jarlenski, PhD, MPHFrom University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L17-0140 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Health care systems use performance measures based on guidelines from such organizations as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to monitor the appropriateness of cervical cancer screening. According to the performance measure currently in the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, satisfactory cervical cancer screening involves at least 1 Papanicolaou (Pap) test every 3 years for average-risk women aged 21 to 64 years or at least 1 Pap and human papillomavirus test every 5 years for average-risk women aged 30 to 64 years (1). These performance measures have notable flaws. They do not allow for brief and clinically ...References1. National Committee for Quality Assurance. Cervical cancer screening. 2017. Accessed at www.ncqa.org/report-cards/health-plans/state-of-health-care-quality/2016-table-of-contents/cervical-cancer-screening on 16 May 2017. Google Scholar2. Sawaya GF, Kulasingam S, Denberg TD, Qaseem A; Clinical Guidelines Committee of American College of Physicians. Cervical cancer screening in average-risk women: best practice advice from the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:851-9. [PMID: 25928075]. doi:10.7326/M14-2426 LinkGoogle Scholar3. ACOG Committee on Practice Bulletins—Gynecology. ACOG Practice Bulletin no. 109: cervical cytology screening. Obstet Gynecol. 2009;114:1409-20. [PMID: 20134296] doi:10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181c6f8a4 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Berwick DM, Hackbarth AD. Eliminating waste in US health care. JAMA. 2012;307:1513-6. [PMID: 22419800] doi:10.1001/jama.2012.362 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Smith M, Stuckhardt L, McGinnis JM, eds. Committee on the Learning Health Care System in America; Institute of Medicine. Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2013. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L17-0140.This article was published at Annals.org on 11 July 2017. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byEffect of an Electronic Health Record Decision Support Alert to Decrease Excess Cervical Cancer ScreeningCervical cancer screening uptake among HIV-positive women in Ontario, Canada: A population-based retrospective cohort study 19 September 2017Volume 167, Issue 6Page: 445-446KeywordsCervical cancer screeningDisclosureHealth careHealth care qualityHealth information technologyHuman papillomavirusHysterectomyMedicareObstetrics and gynecologyPerformance measures ePublished: 11 July 2017 Issue Published: 19 September 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...