Evaluación de la calidad del informe del análisis del frotis de flujo vaginal de cinco laboratorios clínicos del Pacífico colombiano.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Evaluación de la calidad del informe del análisis del frotis de flujo vaginal de cinco laboratorios clínicos del Pacífico colombiano.
Alternate Title:	Evaluation of the quality of vaginal discharge smear analysis reporting in five clinical laboratories in the Colombian Pacific Region.
Authors:	Salcedo-Cifuentes, Mercedes¹ mercedes.salcedo@correounivalle.edu.co, Fonseca-Pérez, Javier E.²
Source:	Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud. mar2026, Vol. 46 Issue 1, p97-108. 12p.
Subjects:	DOCUMENTATION standards, PATHOLOGICAL laboratories, CLINICAL pathology, VAGINAL discharge, MEDICAL quality control
Geographic Terms:	COLOMBIA, PACIFIC Area
Abstract (English):	Introduction. Vaginal flow analysis plays a key role in clinical diagnosis and medical decision-making. Standardizing report formats remains essential to ensure diagnostic reliability. Objective. To assess the quality of vaginal smear reporting in five clinical laboratories located in Colombia’s Pacific region. Materials and methods. This descriptive, retrospective study examined records from five laboratories (three public, two private) across three cities in the Colombian Pacific region. The evaluation followed the BACOVA ERIGE guidelines to assess the completeness of the analytical components. Researchers used XLSTAT Premium, version 2024, to compute means, standard deviations, proportions, and ratios. They applied the chi square test to compare reporting compliance across laboratories and used multiple correspondence analysis and discriminant analysis to identify reporting patterns and inter-city differences. Results. The study analyzed 1260 records from women aged 18 to 60 years. Of these, 56.8% were pregnant, and 57% were affiliated to the subsidized healthcare system. Compliance with the BACOVA ERIGE guidelines was higher in Ipiales (54.44%) compared to Cali (24.21%) and Quibdó (21.35%) (χ², p = 0.047). The multiple correspondence analysis and discriminant analysis identified three distinct reporting profiles by city. Conclusions. The variability in vaginal smear reports underscores the need to standardize post-analytical procedures. Unifying technical criteria among laboratories would improve the diagnostic quality of vaginal flora imbalance and enhance clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Abstract (Spanish):	Introducción. El análisis del flujo vaginal cumple un papel clave en el diagnóstico clínico y en la toma de decisiones médicas. La estandarización del informe es esencial para garantizar la confiabilidad diagnóstica. Objetivo. Evaluar la calidad del informe del frotis vaginal de cinco laboratorios clínicos de la región del Pacífico colombiano. Materiales y métodos. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo y retrospectivo basado en los registros de cinco laboratorios (tres públicos y dos privados) ubicados en tres municipios del Pacífico colombiano. Se utilizó la guía BACOVA ERIGE para evaluar si los componentes analíticos estaban completos o incompletos. Los datos se procesaron con XLSTAT Premium, versión 2024, mediante cálculos de medias, desviaciones estándar, proporciones y razones. Se aplicó la prueba de χ2 para comparar el cumplimiento entre laboratorios, y se hicieron análisis de correspondencia múltiple y análisis discriminadores para determinar los patrones del informe y las diferencias entre municipios. Resultados. Se analizaron 1260 registros de mujeres entre los 18 y los 60 años: el 56,8 % estaban embarazadas y el 57 % se encontraban afiliadas al régimen subsidiado. El cumplimiento de la guía BACOVA ERIGE fue mayor en Ipiales (54,44 %) que en Cali (24,21 %) y Quibdó (21,35 %) (χ², p = 0,047). Mediante los análisis de correspondencia múltiple y discriminante, se identificaron tres diferentes patrones de informes por municipio. Conclusiones. La variabilidad observada en los informes del frotis vaginal pone en evidencia la necesidad de estandarizar los procedimientos posteriores al análisis. La unificación de los criterios técnicos entre laboratorios mejoraría la calidad diagnóstica del desequilibrio de la flora vaginal y fortalecería la toma de decisiones clínicas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	MedicLatina

Description
Abstract:	Introduction. Vaginal flow analysis plays a key role in clinical diagnosis and medical decision-making. Standardizing report formats remains essential to ensure diagnostic reliability. Objective. To assess the quality of vaginal smear reporting in five clinical laboratories located in Colombia’s Pacific region. Materials and methods. This descriptive, retrospective study examined records from five laboratories (three public, two private) across three cities in the Colombian Pacific region. The evaluation followed the BACOVA ERIGE guidelines to assess the completeness of the analytical components. Researchers used XLSTAT Premium, version 2024, to compute means, standard deviations, proportions, and ratios. They applied the chi square test to compare reporting compliance across laboratories and used multiple correspondence analysis and discriminant analysis to identify reporting patterns and inter-city differences. Results. The study analyzed 1260 records from women aged 18 to 60 years. Of these, 56.8% were pregnant, and 57% were affiliated to the subsidized healthcare system. Compliance with the BACOVA ERIGE guidelines was higher in Ipiales (54.44%) compared to Cali (24.21%) and Quibdó (21.35%) (χ², p = 0.047). The multiple correspondence analysis and discriminant analysis identified three distinct reporting profiles by city. Conclusions. The variability in vaginal smear reports underscores the need to standardize post-analytical procedures. Unifying technical criteria among laboratories would improve the diagnostic quality of vaginal flora imbalance and enhance clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	01204157
DOI:	10.7705/biomedica.7551