An equivalency and efficiency study for one year digital pathology for clinical routine diagnostics in an accredited tertiary academic center.

Abstract

Digital pathology is revolutionizing clinical diagnostics by offering enhanced efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility of pathological examinations. This study explores the implementation and validation of digital pathology in a large tertiary academic center, focusing on its gradual integration and transition into routine clinical diagnostics. In a comprehensive validation process over a 6-month period, we compared sign-out of digital and physical glass slides of a wide range of different tissue specimens and histopathological diagnoses. Key metrics such as diagnostic concordance and user satisfaction were assessed by involving the pathologists in a validation training and study phase. We measured turnaround times before and after transitioning to digital pathology to assess the impact on overall efficiency. Our results demonstrate a 99% concordance between the analog and digital reports while at the same time reducing the time to sign out a case by almost a minute, suggesting potential long-term efficiency gains. Our digital transition positively impacted our pathology workflow: Pathologists reported increased flexibility and satisfaction due to the ease of accessing and sharing digital slides. However, challenges were identified, including technical issues related to image quality and system integration. Lessons learned from this study emphasize the importance of robust training programs, adequate IT support, and ongoing evaluation to ensure successful integration. This validation study confirms that digital pathology is a viable and beneficial tool for accurate clinical routine diagnostics in large academic centers, offering insights for other institutions considering similar endeavors.