Storage and distribution of pathology digital images using integrated Web-Based viewing systems

Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, May 2002 by Marchevsky, Alberto M, Dulbandzhyan, Ronda, Seely, Kevin, Carey, Steve, Duncan, Raymond G

COMMENT

The standardization of technologies and the adoption of a Web interface for all our computer systems allow us to leverage the information stored in a database developed primarily for the internal needs of a pathology department. The digital images stored in our image database can be made available in other contexts and can be readily integrated with other patient information in one location for retrieval. In our view, offering access to images through a Web interface such as Web/VS is a less expensive and more flexible solution than incorporating digital images into routine pathology reports. The latter requires the use of expensive laser color printers for printing of color images and results in significant costs in supplies and manpower. In contrast, use of Web/VS or a similar integrated Web interface offers a practical and relatively inexpensive solution for the electronic storage and retrieval of pathology information, enabling secure remote access and minimizing the costs of installation, support, and training. Our Web-based system is certainly not unique. For example, Crowley and associates26 and Dawson and associates27 at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have described the use of the Web as a tool to educate patients and integrate pathology images into the patient's medical record. We have not collected user survey information regarding the value of digital images for teaching, patient and house officer education, and case documentation, but the results from semistructured standardized interviews with a cohort of practicing oncologists, performed by Crowley and associates,26 suggest that these methods will become increasingly valuable for the future practice of pathology.

In summary, the use of Web-based technologies, which are certainly not unique or new, can be adapted in a costeffective manner to store digital images from pathology specimens and distribute them inexpensively to a potentially large group of end users. Digital images can be made readily available to pathology faculty, residents and fellows, clinicians, and patients, supporting pathologists in their role as physicians who provide valuable, state-ofthe-art information for patient care and medical education.

References

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