Loss to Follow-up of Patients with Abnormal Pap Smear : Magnitude and Reasons
JADSADA THINKHAMROP, M.D., M.Sc.*, PISAKE LUMBIGANON, M.D., M.S.*, SUWIT JITPAKDEEBODIN, M.D.**
Affiliation : * Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002. ** Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maharaj Hospital, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand.
Abstract We studied the magnitude and reasons for loss to follow-up in cases of abnormal Pap smears. We studied 162 women whose Pap smear results were abnormal. The lost follow-up rate was 41.1 per cent (95% CI: 33.1 to 49.3). Reasons for not coming to receive treatment was mostly related to communication such as not receiving informed letters from the hospital (35.6%), not understanding the messages in the informed letters (10.2%), were informed from the hospital's letters that their results were normal (5.1% ), and perceiving that the test result was not serious (13.6%). One third of them had traveling-related reasons. There were 25.4 per cent of patients who sought treatment at other hospitals and 8.5 per cent went to see a tradi- tional healer for treatment. The results provide information to prevent such unnecessary loss after having a Pap smear screening test for cervical carcinoma.
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