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Virtual reality: online reporting from Backlogs

For some time now, the UK has experienced a noticeable manpower shortage of histopathologists. Recruitment into the profession is proving problematic and various factors are responsible for this situation. A freeze in new consultant posts during the 1990s began the steady decline in total numbers. Increasing workloads combined with higher quality standards required by The Royal College of Pathologists and laboratory accreditation bodies such as Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) UK have significantly added to the pressure, which has resulted in some pathology departments struggling to manage their routine workloads. However, one company now provides a unique solution to these problems, courtesy of their revolutionary online diagnostic reporting service.

Cost-effective alternative
Launched in 2005 in response to perceived shortages in consultant pathologists and biomedical scientists, Backlogs specialises in supporting laboratories by supplying a rapid diagnostic reporting service for histopathology and cytology departments, providing both short-term holiday cover and long-term support. These services are now being used increasingly by hospital pathology departments as a cost-effective alternative to enlisting the use of locum services, to combat unexpected workloads, sick leave, holiday absences and also to assist in confidential duty-of-care reviews when necessary. 

Dr Robin Moseley, clinical director of Backlogs and a consultant pathologist at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, explains how the company operates. “The remit of Backlogs is to work in partnership with the NHS, as and when required. Backlogs is essentially a virtual laboratory operating a proprietary secure web-based reporting platform, which we term the Backlogs Pathology Engine. Using this platform, the company provides a secure online reporting service for both histopathology and cytology cases.

“Backlogs currently operates in partnership with 28 NHS trusts and has reported in excess of 30,000 cases in the first eight months of 2008. To deliver this service, we contract the diagnostic services of more than 60 UK consultant pathologists. Operating from offices in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, and London, Backlogs has innovated and developed a secure web-based pathology reporting system for the NHS that forms an integral component of the Backlogs service. This web interface enables pathologists around the UK to report cases simultaneously on a shared system. Client hospitals also have specific access to reports, which can be printed locally. The system therefore harnesses the reporting capacity of a large consultant body with complete coverage of all specialties, including the rare and exotic.”

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