Virtual slide telepathology workstation of the future: lessons learned from teleradiology.

Full Abstract

The clinical reading environment for the 21st century pathologist looks very different than it did even a few short years ago. Glass slides are quickly being replaced by digital "virtual slides," and the traditional light microscope is being replaced by the computer display. There are numerous questions that arise however when deciding exactly what this new digital display viewing environment will be like. Choosing a workstation for daily use in the interpretation of digital pathology images can be a very daunting task. Radiology went digital nearly 20 years ago and faced many of the same challenges so there are lessons to be learned from these experiences. One major lesson is that there is no "one size fits all" workstation so users must consider a variety of factors when choosing a workstation. In this article, we summarize some of the potentially critical elements in a pathology workstation and the characteristics one should be aware of and look for in the selection of one. Issues pertaining to both hardware and software aspects of medical workstations will be reviewed particularly as they may impact the interpretation process.

Author information

Author/s: Krupinski, Elizabeth A (EA);

Affiliation: Department of Radiology and the Arizona Telemedicine Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA. krupinski(-atsign-)radiology.arizona.edu

Grants: R01 EB004987 (Agency:NIBIB NIH HHS) ; R01 EB008055 (Agency:NIBIB NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Human pathology (Hum Pathol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Aug; vol 40 (issue 8) : pp 1100-11

Dates: Created 2009/07/20; Completed 2009/08/04;

PMID: 19552939, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 8/21/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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