What is the recommended follow-up for a patient with a normal Pap smear and negative HPV results?

The recommended follow-up for a patient with a normal Pap smear and negative HPV results is to proceed with routine screening based on the patient's age. This approach is in line with established guidelines, which suggest that women aged 21-29 continue to have Pap smears every three years regardless of HPV status, while women aged 30-65 can transition to either a Pap smear every three years or a Pap and HPV co-testing every five years if both results are normal.

This strategy effectively balances the need for ongoing cervical cancer screening with the understanding that the likelihood of developing cervical cancer is very low in patients with these normal results. Continuing routine screening based on age allows for monitoring while minimizing unnecessary procedures, such as colposcopy or imaging, which are not indicated unless abnormal results are found.