Pap Smear Campaign
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and curable of all cancers, yet approximately 36% of women aged 18-70 do not have regular pap smears, and 3 out of 4 women who develop cervical cancer have either never had a Pap smear or have not had one in the past 5 years1.
As part of our ongoing commitment to women’s health, from February to April 2010 QML Pathology is running a Pap smear campaign aimed at improving awareness amongst women of the importance of regular Pap smears in reducing the incidence of cervical cancer, and encouraging women 18 – 69 years to make a Pap smear appointment with their doctor. In particular the campaign will focus on those patients visiting QML Pathology collection centres, and those who rarely have or who have never had a Pap smear.
We also hope to dispel some common misconceptions, such as “I’ve had my cervical cancer vaccination, I don’t need a Pap smear”, or “I’ve been through menopause, I don’t need a Pap smear”. One of the key messages is that cervical cancer does not discriminate – it can affect your mother, your sister, your daughter, your friend, your wife or your grandmother. Now is the time to encourage friends and family to have a Pap smear.
As you all know GPs play a significant role in encouraging women to take the essential steps to prevent cervical cancer. At QML Pathology we would like to assist with this process where possible. We will bulk bill all Pap smears that meet Medicare eligibility (patient’s current Medicare number on the request form, the patient’s signature on the assignment section of the request form, and D.B./B.B. indicated), and are able to provide Abnormal Follow up Lists and Pap Summary Reports to referring surgeries. In addition we have a large number of resources that can be utilised by surgeries including posters and patient brochures, as well as information for doctors including our Women’s Health Pack and reference material.
For further information please contact QML Pathology Marketing on (07) 3121 4506 or Cytology on (07) 3121 4494.
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