development of a database for cervical cytology reports

Abstract

Background Cervical cancer is an important cause of female mortality. Its incidence, however, has been drastically reduced by early detection using the Papanicolaou screening method. As a result of the widespread use of this method, a large amount of cytological information has to be stored, printed and handled efficiently. This paper describes a database system designed to manage information from studies of cervical cytology, which was developed at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, National University of La Plata, Argentina. Methods Information needs were assessed by interviews with physicians and analysis of cytology reports. The database was developed using MS Access 2007. Results The database is designed to collect, display, sort and print patient demographics, clinical data and cytological studies. Diagnoses can be stored either as international classifications or as free text. The database contains 45 tables and 50 forms for data entry, editing and display. This information can be exported to spreadsheets and statistical packages. Conclusion This database gives users easy access to patients' cytological diagnoses and provides a useful tool for physicians and public health researchers.