Freckelton Ian
Owen Dixon Chambers, C/- Clerk Howells, 205 William St, Melbourne, Vic 3000, Australia.
J Law Med. 2003 Nov;11(2):185-200.
The article analyses the potential for false negative and false positive results from Pap smear testing by gynaecological cytopathology laboratories. It also reviews case law in relation to the liability of general practitioners, gynaecologists, cytoscreeners and pathologists in respect of cervical cancer diagnoses. It argues that the concerns expressed in the 1990s about unfair findings of liability against cervical screeners have not been borne out, liability only having been found by the courts where culpable failure to adhere to the standards to be expected of professional behaviour has been established by probative evidence. It argues that the challenge for the future is for cytology screening to articulate definitively where the distinctions lie between acceptable and unacceptable error and for the medical profession and the legal profession to accommodate to the limitations of gynaecological cytopathology.
本文分析了妇科细胞病理学实验室进行巴氏涂片检测时出现假阴性和假阳性结果的可能性。它还回顾了与全科医生、妇科医生、细胞筛查人员和病理学家在宫颈癌诊断方面的责任相关的判例法。文章认为，20世纪90年代对宫颈筛查人员责任认定不公平的担忧并未得到证实，只有在通过确凿证据证明存在应受谴责的未能遵守专业行为预期标准的情况下，法院才会判定责任。文章认为，未来的挑战在于细胞学筛查要明确界定可接受误差和不可接受误差之间的区别，以及医学专业和法律专业要适应妇科细胞病理学的局限性。
