Results from the 2019 American Society of Cytopathology survey on rapid on-site evaluation—Part 1: objective practice patterns

Introduction Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) is a service provided by cytologists that helps ensure specimen adequacy and appropriate triage for ancillary testing. However, data on the current usage patterns across different practice settings have been lacking. Materials and methods To obtain an accurate and timely assessment of the current state of practice of ROSE, a 14-question online survey was constructed by the Clinical Practice Committee of the American Society for Cytopathology. The survey was available to the membership of the American Society for Cytopathology for a 3-week period in early 2019. Results A total of 541 responses were received, including from 255 cytopathologists/pathologists, 261 cytotechnologists, 19 cytology resident/fellow trainees, and 6 others. ROSE was offered as a clinical service by 95.4% of the respondents, with telecytology for ROSE used in 21.9% of the practices. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration was the procedure most frequently reported to use ROSE (mean, 59.1%; median, 70%). Cytotechnologists were involved in ROSE in most practices. The number of daily ROSE procedures correlated with the annual nongynecologic cytology volumes. Approximately 70% of ROSE procedures were reported to require >30 minutes, on average, for the cytologist. Conclusions The results from our survey of cytologists have shown that the reported practice patterns for the usage of ROSE vary considerably. The presented data can help inform future guideline recommendations and the implementation of ROSE in different clinical settings.