§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of cytopathology records in Northern Ireland are held on(a) computer and (b) manual records; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NeedhamCytopathology laboratories process a variety of test types including cervical smears. The Belfast city hospital cytopathology laboratory has a computer system for managing cervical smear tests. Other cytopathology tests at the Belfast city hospital laboratory and all tests at other cytopathology laboratories are processed manually.
The analysis for cervical smear tests for 1986 is given in the table below:
Cervical Smear Tests—Manual and Computer Processed—1986 Number Percentage Manual 15,914 23 Computer 54,208 77 TOTAL 70,122 100 There are computer records for 11,000 non-negative cervical cytology cases identified in the Belfast city hospital laboratory since 1965. Statistics of the number of cases held on manual records systems are not recorded centrally.