Summary

The National Cervical Screening Program data dictionary was developed by the AIHW with the assistance of state and territory cervical screening programs, and the National Cervical Screening data dictionary working group, convened specifically for this purpose.

This new data dictionary is a key document that has been developed to support monitoring and reporting for the new NCSP, although it has been recognised that this document will support the new NCSP and its operation more broadly.

The data dictionary also plays a major role in ensuring consistency in data collection for  the NCSP. Previously, cervical screening data were collected and held in state and territory cervical screening registers. Under the new NCSP, data will have either been retained in a state or territory cervical screening register, or migrated to a new National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) that also includes the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program Register.

It is therefore important to ensure that national data continue to be reported consistently. As the primary purpose of this data dictionary is to support monitoring and reporting by  the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for the new NCSP, only key data items required for this purpose, along with selected others considered important to support the new NCSP more broadly are included in this data dictionary. Many more data items exist on jurisdictional cervical screening registers and the NCSR such as operational data items required for the day-to-day running of a register that are not included in this data dictionary.