Medical research – the Compass Trial

Charlton Medical is involved in quality medical research activities and data from your visit may be used for this purpose. City Standards; Country Care provides us with an ideal format to keep you up-to-date with these activities.  There are ethical and legal requirements for both researchers and GPs to protect patient privacy and safety and you will have been asked to consent to your medical information being used for this purpose during your first consultation as a new patient.  It is important for you to remember that you can always request that your data is not used for research purposes and that this will not impact the medical care that you will receive.

You will know if you’re one of the women Charlton Medical has enrolled in the Compass Trial of 76,000 participants because we would have asked for your signed consent before we started. If so, thank you. You can find information especially for participants in this important research online at www.compasstrial.org.au/participants/. The Compass Trial is the largest randomised controlled trial in Australia.

We now know that long term infection with certain types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. The Compass Trial is designed to compare the performance of HPV tests and pap smears when screening for cervical cancer. The trial has already shown that If the HPV test is negative, the likelihood of developing cervical cancer is so low that it is safe to leave the next screening test for 5 years. If the HPV test is positive there is a chance of having or developing abnormal cells on the cervix so further tests need to be done. ​

If you are enrolled in the Compass Trial, researchers will have access to your cervical screening results currently stored with the Victorian Cytology Service (VCS). They can see the results of your cervical screening tests for 5 years and will remind you when your next cervical screening test is due.

You are under no obligation to take part in this trial and if you change your mind you can withdraw at any time by speaking to your doctor or by calling 1800 611 635. If you choose to withdraw you will be sent a reminder for your next cervical screening test by VCS as normal. All data collected as part of the Compass Trial will be kept permanently as part of your test record at the Compass Register and VCS Pathology. If you withdraw from the Compass Trial, researchers will not use your information in any future data analysis for the Compass Trial. More information on how your data is stored is available at www.vcspathology.org.au/women/privacy-statement.

You can read more about the research Charlton Medical is involved with in the resource tab of our website. Please feel free to speak to our team if you would like more information about how we keep your personal and health information private.