With the promotion of second-

Objective: To determine the proportion of women attending the colposcopy and general gynaecology clinic who have changed their address since the initial visit. Design: A prospective analysis of 100 patients seen between July and December 2003 in both colposcopy and gynaecology clinics. Results: A total of 100 women seen in each of the clinics in the previous 6 months were included for the analysis. In the colposcopy clinic 62% had changed their home address from the initial visit address and in the general gynaecology clinic 35%. Conclusions: It is mandatory to check the home address of patients at each clinic visit especially in the colposcopy clinic where more than 50% women change their address. This will avoid serious errors of omission regarding results and other management issues. Further prospective studies and protocol for prompts to standard clinic letters will help to update patient details.