data acquisition Kees Wesdorp
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The future of digital pathology As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer doesn’t stop, and any delay in the diagnosis and treatment in oncology care can pose a high risk to patients.
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locations while trying to be subspecialised to
Enabling AI in pathology for deeper insights
provide the right expertise for difficult cases. This
Digital pathology also opens the door for artificial
creates a complex workflow, where slides must be
intelligence (AI) and automated tools for reading
he rapid adoption of digital
distributed optimally to the pathologists across the
slides to help empower clinicians to deliver clear
pathology services has been critical in ensuring
system, balancing workloads, but also targeting
care pathways with predictable outcomes for
the continuation of clinical services during the
the right cases to the right experts. Complicating
every patient.
pandemic, with pathologists able to conduct
matters, once acquired digitally, pathology data is
AI-powered workflows have the potential
primary diagnoses from home while also protecting
growing exponentially, housed in disparate systems
to provide a continuous pathway, where critical
themselves and those around them.
addition, pathologists are spread across multiple
and scattered across various departments. This
patient data is made visible to both pathologists
Throughout the pandemic, the pathology
lack of a fully integrated, interoperable and secure
and oncologists more rapidly, helping improve the
department experienced a significant trans-
set of harmonised systems keeps data, clinicians
clinician experience and enhance patient care. This
formation at a scale not seen before in the field.
and workflows siloed and inefficient.
will be particularly important in the years ahead, as
In fact, digital pathology — the acquisition,
Enterprise-wide digital pathology solutions are
the industry balances workforce shortages with the
management, sharing and interpretation of
able to tackle this issue head on with technology
need to meet the increasing demand for pathology
pathology information in a digital environment
designed to accommodate current histopathology
services and the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
— has ‘come of age’ over the last two years, with
needs for routine use in high-volume labs
The key to a new model of diagnostic precision
research from Signify indicating the market saw
and integrated pathology networks. Through
is bringing together multiple diagnostic insights
40.9% growth year over year in 2020.
virtualisation and better care orchestration, cases
within the healthcare continuum — like radiology,
Health providers and CMIOs are increasingly
can be routed anywhere within the network to
pathology and genomics — at critical states along
focusing on pathology within their wider
be read, scaling access to specialists, optimising
a patient’s journey. By providing pathologists with
digitalisation strategies, enabling a fully digital
workloads and decreasing the rate of interpretation
the interoperability and connectivity to share high-
care solution to speed up the processing of viewing
errors conducted by non-subspecialised
quality images, utilise new technologies enabled
slides to help enhance decision-making. While
pathologists.
by digitisation (such as AI) and expand diagnostic
challenges lie ahead, the power of virtualisation
Virtual networks also enable pathology
insights across networks, they will become key
and the ability to connect with other teams, coupled
departments to moderate the impact of increased
stakeholders in the data-driven healthcare systems
with advances in AI, mean digital pathology is key
caseloads as a result of the pandemic by enabling
of the future.
to a new paradigm of diagnostic precision.
efficient diagnoses and facilitating the speedier transfer of complex cases for second opinions.
The power of virtualisation and care orchestration
Connections to other teams also provide the
One of the main challenges pathology departments
with multiple professionals, helping to improve
face is an increasing shortage of pathologists. In
knowledge transfer and learning opportunities.
opportunity for pathologists to collaborate
www.LabOnline.com.au | www.LifeScientist.com.au
Kees Wesdorp is the Chief Business Leader of Precision Diagnosis at Philips. Reposted with permission from HealthCare Business News. Philips Healthcare www.philips.com.au/healthcare
LAB+LIFE SCIENTIST - Apr/May 2022 | 15
