Cervical screening currently relies on manually read slides in which the cytoscreener scans the entire slide looking for abnormal cells. This study evaluated technology that assists reading cytology by automatically detecting abnormal fields of view on a slide and presenting these to a cytoscreener on an automated microscope. This could potentially achieve greater sensitivity and productivity, thus saving lives and achieving a more efficient use of the cytology workforce. This study had the following objectives:
•To determine the sensitivity of automation-assisted reading relative to manual reading.
•To determine any added productivity of automated reading.
•To estimate the comparative cost-effectiveness of automated and manual reading.
•To determine the reliability of ‘no further review’ (NFR) without any reading.