Survey of colposcopy service provided by genito-urinary medicine in England and Wales

Objective To investigate the expansion of colposcopy services within genitourinary medicine (GUM) in England and Wales since 1985. Design Data collected by postal and verbal communication from 189 genitourinary medicine clinics in England and Wales in January 1990. Subjects Consultant and junior genito-urinary physicians practising colposcopy. Main outcome measures Number of clinics providing colposcopy service; indication for colposcopy, treatment facilities available, waiting lists and training opportunities, compared with that in 1985. Results Of the 189 genito-urinary medicine clinics contacted, 60 provided a colposcopy service and 55 of these returned completed questionnaires. There has been a 67% increase in the number of colposcopes in use and over 50% of clinics have the facilities to treat cervical pathology. Waiting lists were minimal for both examination and treatment. Both men and women are examined with the colposcope for a variety of indications. At present, 52% of career grade GUM physicians practise colposcopy compared to 24% in 1985 and 94% of senior registrars compared with 42% in 198.5 were in training or trained in colposcopy.