A survey of the current situation of pathologists and development of a consultation network using virtual slides / 日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会誌

ABSTRACT

<b>Introduction</b> To grasp what kind of problems exists in order to solve the shortage of pathologists, we conducted a survey with special focus on the condition of facilities with single pathologists. We also considered whether the use of virtual slide technology is a viable option in mitigating the shortage of pathologists.<br><b>Methods</b> The survey was conducted at the 58th Autumn Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pathology using questionnaires. Interviews were also obtained with pathologists who use virtual slides<br><b>Results</b> The percentage of facilities with single pathologists was approximately 30%, and these facilities had the highest rates of using virtual slides for remote pathology consultations. Regardless of the number of pathologist at a facility, outside consultation was often obtained with difficult cases. Although pathologists working alone expressed anxiety over diagnosing cancer, consulting other facilities appeared to be difficult.<br><b>Conclusion</b> In order to reduce the anxiety of pathologists working alone and to raise the accuracy of cancer diagnoses, a mechanism by which pathologists can consult each other is required. Developing a network for pathologists for such consultations using virtual slides is felt to be important in primary care.