Nteene Litheba M, Wright Colleen A
Division of Anatomical Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa.
Trop Doct. 2012 Apr;42(2):97-8. doi: 10.1258/td.2011.110312. Epub 2012 Feb 10.
Fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB) performed by trained professional nurses and pathology registrars in an FNAB clinic were compared with aspirates by clinicians from regional clinics and hospitals. Of the 7709 reports retrieved from the archives, the highest number of unsatisfactory aspirates came from clinicians (42%), followed by registrars (20.09%) while the nurses had the lowest overall unsatisfactory rate (14.32%). We conclude that, in countries experiencing a shortage of adequately qualified and experienced medical personnel, it is essential to train nurses to perform and manage FNAB clinics.
