Women must be given fully informed information about cervical screeningBMJ 1999; 318 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.318.7197.1555a (Published 05 June 1999) Cite this as: BMJ 1999;318:1555
- John Nottingham, Consultant histopathologist. (email@example.com)
- George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 7DJ
EDITOR—The General Medical Council has now produced clear ethical guidelines with respect to getting informed consent from patients undergoing any medical procedure, including screening tests. 1 2 This would include cervical screening.
The guidelines are quite specific in stating that a doctor or other party should explain the purpose of screening; the likelihood of positive and negative findings, including false negative and false positive results; uncertainties and risks of screening; important medical, social, or financial consequences …