Health Services > Cervical Screening Program

Queensland Health Pap Smear Register

image of six different ladies The Queensland Health Pap Smear Register (PSR) is a central database that contains a complete history of Pap smears and other related test results for the women of Queensland.

The PSR became operational on 8 February 1999.

What services/benefits does the PSR offer service providers?
What information does the PSR collect?
Can I get a copy of a patient's Pap smear history?
What if a patient chooses to 'opt-off' the Register?

What services/benefits does the PSR offer service providers?
The PSR will:

provide screening histories of women to assist Pap smear providers in recommending clinical management, or the date for the next Pap smear
contact Pap smear providers when women are overdue for recommended follow-up and work with them to prompt follow-up action, if it has not already been undertaken
provide a back-up system to any existing reminder system currently in place by the Pap smear provider.

What information does the PSR collect?
Data that the PSR collects:

patient name
patient date of birth
patient address for correspondence
the date a Pap smear was taken
the result of the Pap smear, including management recommendations and actions
Pap smear provider details
details of the pathology laboratory that processed the Pap smear
treatment information, where obtainable
the date and results of HPV DNA tests
details of the health professional who took the HPV DNA tests
details of the pathology laboratory that processed the HPV DNA tests
the date and results of other related tests
details of the health professional who took the related tests
details of the pathology laboratory that processed the related tests.

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Can I get a copy of a patient's Pap smear history?
A Pap smear provider may access a patients Pap smear history as long as they are registered with the PSR and have been provided with a password. The PSR staff will verify the Pap smear provider and their password, before giving out any information about a woman. PSR staff are not permitted under legislation to provide the woman’s address to a Pap smear provider without her consent.
An application for password form, contained in the Queensland Health Pap Smear Register kit, should be completed by providers and sent to the PSR to obtain a password to enable access to PSR data. Registered Nurse Pap Smear Providers (RN PSP) are advised to contact the Queensland Cervical Screening Program to obtain an application kit for authorisation as a RN PSP.

What if a patient chooses to 'opt-off' the Register?
When a woman advises her Pap smear provider that she does not want her details recorded on the PSR, the Pap smear provider is required to:

place a 'Not for PS Register' sticker or write 'Not for PSR' on the Pathology Request Form each time a Pap smear or related test is taken. The stickers can be found in the Queensland Health Pap Smear Register kit. Queensland Health Pap Smear Register kit can be ordered by completing a resource order form.
ask the woman to sign the 'Exclusion from the Pap Smear Register' form from the pad provided (also contained in the Queensland Health Pap Smear Register kit). The Pap smear provider keeps the bottom slip as a record of the woman’s decision and attaches this to the woman's medical record. The top half of the exclusion form is given to the woman as a record of her decision. The provider then ensures that the woman understands that she will not receive the Registry reminder or follow-up service material in the mail.

Women, who have previously 'opted-off', should be given the opportunity by their Pap smear provider to consent to being on the PSR at each subsequent attendance for a Pap smear or related follow-up test. When a pathology laboratory receives a Pathology Request Form which indicates that the woman does not want her details recorded on the PSR, the pathology laboratory will ensure that the record is not transferred to the PSR.

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Last Updated: 29 May 2008
Last Reviewed: 29 May 2008