The centrality of the clinician in the evaluation of patients with abnormal cervical cytologic studies

The management of women with abnormal cervical cytologic studies requires in-depth knowledge of the patient and the disease, as well as the illness caused by their interaction. Only the clinician has access to these three parameters. Therefore, recommendations regarding patient care made by the cytology laboratory that appear on the cytology report are often inappropriate, may lead to mismanagement, and have the potential for disruption of the physician-patient relationship. Even suggestions based on guidelines that are evidence based often do not apply to a particular patient because such guidelines are most appropriate for only the “average” patient. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;187:1533-5.)