Integrating clinical and anatomical pathology data: risks and rewards

The average pathologist spends several hours on each case. While the amount of time a pathologist spends does vary based on complexity of cases, it is prudent to note that some of this time cannot be avoided; it highlights a clear need for effective pathologist-focused tools that can simplify complex workflows. 

From correlation and interpretation to analysis, pathologists’ workflow is very complex and there remains significant opportunity to streamline their routine case checklist and ensure a high-quality outcome. Clinical pathology results, anatomical pathology results, patient historical information and EMR records can all help inform pathologists’ analysis and enable an accurate diagnosis.Pathologists work by mental checklists within their set routines and need a streamlined routine for their case activities. Every second a pathologist is focused on finding patient information is a second taken away from giving an accurate diagnosis.

Most pathologists do not have a single access point to all necessary clinical information for an holistic analysis. Toaccess all the information they need, many must log into multiple software systems or manually collect and sort through paper reports. This reality creates a risk of a delayed diagnosis which, in turn,can increase patient length of stay. In addition, in a worst-case scenario, this delay can increase mortality rate in sepsis cases1 or other high-risk cases, or, in a best-case scenario, negatively impact patient satisfaction and increase the overall cost of care. In the UK alone, sepsis costs the NHS £2.5 billion and takes over 37,000 lives per year.Any efforts that can reduce that number should be seriously taken into consideration.