Quality management in anatomic pathology: The past, present, and future

One of the challenges in anatomic pathology laboratories is to meet the increasing need for pathological diagnosis, using quality management (QM) activities and systems to ensure that patients receive their accurate and timely pathology report. The aim of this paper is to review anatomic pathology QM from both management and technical perspectives, including the past, present, and future opportunities. First, the evolution of the QM concept and scope will be discussed. Next, current QM system implementation and laboratory accreditations will be discussed from the management perspective, and common medical errors in anatomic pathology in different testing cycles will be analyzed. Finally, selected future management systems to improve the level of total QM worldwide for patient safety and the potential of informatics to be used as an auxiliary tool in anatomic pathology will be discussed.