The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of colposcopy and directed biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States (US). The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP's Board of Directors. An extensive literature review was conducted and supplemented by a systematic review and meta-analysis of unpublished data. In addition, a survey of practicing colposcopists was conducted to assess current colposcopy practice in the US. Recommendations were approved by the working group members, and the final revisions were made based on comments received from the public. The recommendations cover terminology, risk-based colposcopy, colposcopy procedures, and colposcopy adjuncts. The ASCCP Colposcopy Standards recommendations are an important step toward raising the standard of colposcopy services delivered to women in the US. Because cervical cancer screening programs are currently undergoing important changes that may affect colposcopy performance, updates to some of the current recommendations may be necessary in the future.

A recommended terminology for use in US colposcopic practice was developed, with comprehensive and minimal criteria for reporting.

Assessing the risk of cervical precancer at the colposcopy visit allows for modification of colposcopy procedures consistent with a woman's risk. Implementation of these recommendations is expected to lead to improved detection of cervical precancers at colposcopy, while providing more reassurance of negative colposcopy results.

Objectives The ASCCP Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of and approach to colposcopy and biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States. The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP’s Board of Directors. Working Group 3 defined colposcopy procedure guidelines for minimum and comprehensive colposcopy practice and evaluated the use of colposcopy adjuncts. Methods The working group performed a systematic literature review to identify best practices in colposcopy methodology and to evaluate the use of available colposcopy adjuncts. The literature provided little evidence to support specific elements of the procedure. The working group, therefore, implemented a national survey of current and recent ASCCP members to evaluate common elements of the colposcopy examination. The findings of this survey were modified by expert consensus from the ASCCP Colposcopy Standards Committee members to create guidelines for performing colposcopy. The draft recommendations were posted online for public comment and presented at an open session of the International Federation for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy 2017 World Congress for further comment. All comments were considered in the development of final recommendations. Results Minimum and comprehensive colpocoscopy practice guidelines were developed. These guidelines represent recommended practice in all parts of the exam including: pre-colposcopy evaluation, performing the procedure, documentation of findings, biopsy practice and post-procedure follow-up. Conclusions These guidelines are intended to serve as a guide to standardize colposcopy across the U.S.

Objectives The ASCCP Colposcopy Standards recommendations address the role of and approach to colposcopy and biopsy for cervical cancer prevention in the United States. The recommendations were developed by an expert working group appointed by ASCCP’s Board of Directors. The ASCCP Quality Improvement Working Group developed evidence based guidelines to promote best practices and reduce errors in colposcopy and recommended indicators to measure colposcopy quality. Methods The working group performed a systematic review of existing major society and national guidelines and quality indicators. An initial list of potential quality indicators was developed and refined through successive iterative discussions and draft quality indicators were proposed. The draft recommendations were then reviewed and commented on by the entire Colposcopy Standards Committee, posted online for public comment, and presented at the IFCPC 2017 World Congress for further comment. All comments were considered, additional adjustments made, and the final recommendations approved by the entire Task Force. Results Eleven quality indicators were selected spanning documentation, biopsy protocols, and time intervals between index screening tests and completion of diagnostic evaluation. Conclusions The proposed quality indicators are intended to serve as a starting point for quality improvement in colposcopy at a time when colposcopy volume is decreasing and individual procedures are becoming technically more difficult to perform.