Using data collected from a private Canberra colposcopy service, we examined the direct costs, to women and government, of the gynaecological care of women with cervical cytological abnormalities and determine the potential savings of implementing the Commonwealth recommendations for the clinical care of women with screen-detected abnormalities. We performed a case note audit of 502 women who first attended a gynaecologist because of an abnormal Pap smear between 1 January 1989 and 30 April 1990. The smear resulting in their referral - their presenting smear - was categorised as No CIN (showing no evidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia), CIN 1, CIN 2 and CIN 3. The average costs to government (p for trend <0.001) and women (p for trend = 0.006) increase as the presenting smear increases in severity; the median costs to government (p for trend <0.001) and women (p for trend <0.001) also rose with increasing cytological severity. Treatment of CIN 1 and No CIN accounted for half the costs incurred by government and women. Although costs increase with increasing severity of cytological abnormality, adherence to new Australian guidelines for the gynaecological care of women with screen-detected cervical abnormalities could result in substantial short-term savings to government and women.
