Pathology studies diseases, their causes, and their effects on the body. It involves examining tissues, organs, and bodily fluids to diagnose and understand diseases. Pathologists use various laboratory techniques and tools to analyze samples and inform healthcare professionals about the nature and extent of diseases.
Pathology is a crucial medical discipline that provides important information for diagnosing and treating diseases. While this discipline has existed for years, a new method of analyzing diseases has significantly reduced the time it takes to diagnose a patient.
“We have incorporated digital pathology into our practices because we have a high volume of complex cases and want to facilitate efficient, rapid, and accurate care for our JPS patients."
“In December of 2023, pathology at JPS Health Network went 100 percent digital,” said Janet Miles, MD, Medical Director and Chair, Department of Pathology. “Previously, when you get a glass slide, you look at it on a microscope, which is how we have done it for hundreds of years, but now we have a system known as Whole Slide Imaging (WSI), which allows us to scan the entire slide. WSI involves a computer scanning the whole slide and capturing multiple images.”
Digital pathology has revolutionized diagnostic procedures and has become a crucial element of modern medical diagnosis in the healthcare industry.
“This is a remarkable innovation in pathology,” Dr. Miles said. “The WSI takes multiples levels called z lines and you may have 8, 10, or 20 scans through the thickness of the tissue that’s on the slide and then the computer regenerates that into digital images. This has allowed us to no longer use a microscope to look at our slides, but to use computer-generated images to view them.”
The use of digital pathology has facilitated faster and more collaborative efforts among physicians.
“Digital pathology is also fantastic for getting consults from colleagues,” Dr. Miles said. “I no longer have to take my glass slides, put them in a tray, bundle them up and give them to a courier, or put them in the mail for another pathologist to look at. I can send them the digital slides, have them log into my server, or get on a telepathology call where we can all look at it together. So, it facilitates rapid consultation for second opinions to develop the best diagnosis for our patients.”
Digital pathology has brought numerous benefits that directly impact the quality of care JPS provides its patients. It allows physicians to quickly examine specimens collected from biopsies, which helps them diagnose accurately and deliver the diagnosis to the patient faster. Waiting for the results to determine a diagnosis can be difficult for the patient, so the ability to obtain a diagnosis quickly and accurately is significant.
“Using digital pathology is impactful for the patient because it is faster,” said Dr. Miles. “Our turnaround times with digital pathology are definitely faster than before we used the modality. About 95 percent of the time, we get answers about a patient's diagnosis within two days from their biopsy, allowing us to get answers to patients and clinicians much quicker so they can make patient management and treatment decisions.”
In addition to faster turnaround times, several advanced tools are available to assist pathologists in accurately depicting the characteristics of tumors in patients. One tool is a digital ruler that can precisely measure up to a micrometer.
“With the ruler function, I can very quickly see how much space a tumor is occupying, and that is super important in a lot of tumors because we can look not only at the depth of invasion but also at how big tumors are,” Dr. Miles said. “It allows me to give you an incredibly accurate representation of a patient's tumor characteristics.”
The implementation of digital pathology has enabled JPS physicians to analyze various conditions patients face, showcasing our commitment to providing high-quality care.
“We have incorporated digital pathology into our practices because we have a high volume of complex cases and want to facilitate efficient, rapid, and accurate care for our JPS patients,” said Dr. Miles.