Implementing a structured digital-based online pathology curriculum for trainees at the time of COVID-19

Evolving educational landscape in pathology: a comprehensive bibliometric and visual analysis including digital teaching and learning resources

AIMS

Pathology education is a core component of medical training, and its literature is critical for refining educational modalities. We performed a cross-sectional bibliometric analysis to explore publications on pathology education, focusing on new medical education technologies.

METHODS

The analysis identified 64 pathology journals and 53 keywords. Relevant articles were collected using a web application, PaperScraper, developed to accelerate literature search. Citation data were collected from multiple sources. Descriptive statistics, with time period analysis, were performed using Microsoft Excel and visualised with Flourish Studio. Two article groups were further investigated with a bibliometric software, VOSViewer, to establish co-authorship and keyword relationships.

RESULTS

8946 citations were retrieved from 905 selected articles. Most articles were published in the last decade (447, 49.4%). The top journals were Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (184), Human Pathology (122) and the American Journal of Clinical Pathology (117). The highest number of citations was found for Human Pathology (2120), followed by Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (2098) and American Journal of Clinical Pathology (1142). Authors with different backgrounds had the greatest number of articles and citations. 12 co-authorship, 3 keyword and 8 co-citation clusters were found for the social media/online resources group, 8 co-authorship, 4 keyword and 7 co-citation clusters for the digital pathology/virtual microscopy/mobile technologies group.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis revealed a significant increase in publications over time. The emergence of digital teaching and learning resources played a major role in this growth. Overall, these findings underscore the transformative potential of technology in pathology education.

Impact of the transition to digital pathology in a clinical setting on histopathologists in training: experiences and perceived challenges within a UK training region

AIMS

With increasing utility of digital pathology (DP), it is important to consider the experiences of histopathologists in training, particularly in view of the varied access to DP across a training region and the consequent need to remain competent in reporting on glass slides (GS), which is also relevant for the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists part 2 examination. Understanding the impact of DP on training is limited but could aid development of guidance to support the transition. We sought to investigate the perceptions of histopathologists in training around the introduction of DP for clinical diagnosis within a training region, and the potential training benefits and challenges.

METHODS

An anonymous online survey was circulated to 24 histopathologists in training within a UK training region, including a hospital which has been fully digitised since summer 2020.

RESULTS

19 of 24 histopathologists in training responded (79%). The results indicate that DP offers many benefits to training, including ease of access to cases to enhance individual learning and teaching in general. Utilisation of DP for diagnosis appears variable; almost half of the (10 of 19) respondents with DP experience using it only for ancillary purposes such as measurements, reporting varying levels of confidence in using DP clinically. For those yet to undergo the transition, there was a perceived anxiety regarding digital reporting despite experience with DP in other contexts.

CONCLUSIONS

The survey evidences the need for provision of training and support for histopathologists in training during the transition to DP, and for consideration of their need to maintain competence and confidence with GS reporting.

The slow-paced digital evolution of pathology: lights and shadows from a multifaceted board

Objective

The digital revolution in pathology represents an invaluable resource fto optimise costs, reduce the risk of error and improve patient care, even though it is still adopted in a minority of laboratories. Barriers include concerns about initial costs, lack of confidence in using whole slide images for primary diagnosis, and lack of guidance on transition. To address these challenges and develop a programme to facilitate the introduction of digital pathology (DP) in Italian pathology departments, a panel discussion was set up to identify the key points to be considered.

Methods

On 21 July 2022, an initial conference call was held on Zoom to identify the main issues to be discussed during the face-to-face meeting. The final summit was divided into four different sessions: (I) the definition of DP, (II) practical applications of DP, (III) the use of AI in DP, (IV) DP and education.

Results

Essential requirements for the implementation of DP are a fully tracked and automated workflow, selection of the appropriate scanner based on the specific needs of each department, and a strong commitment combined with coordinated teamwork (pathologists, technicians, biologists, IT service and industries). This could reduce human error, leading to the application of AI tools for diagnosis, prognosis and prediction. Open challenges are the lack of specific regulations for virtual slide storage and the optimal storage solution for large volumes of slides.

Conclusion

Teamwork is key to DP transition, including close collaboration with industry. This will ease the transition and help bridge the gap that currently exists between many labs and full digitisation. The ultimate goal is to improve patient care.

Is Virtual Learning Here to Stay? A Multispecialty Survey of Residents, Fellows, and Faculty

The transition to virtual learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic marks a paradigm shift in graduate medical education (GME). From June to September 2021, we conducted a dual-center, multispecialty survey of residents, fellows, and faculty members to determine overall perceptions about virtual learning and assess its benefits, drawbacks, and future role in GME. We discovered a mainly positive view of virtual education among trainees (138/207, 0.67, 95% CI 0.59-0.73) and faculty (180/278, 0.65, 0.59-0.70). Large group sessions, such as didactic lectures, grand rounds, and national conferences, were ranked best-suited for the virtual environment, whereas small groups and procedural training were the lowest ranked. Major benefits and drawbacks to virtual learning was identified. A hybrid approach, combining in-person and virtual sessions, was the preferred format among trainees (167/207, 0.81, 0.75-0.86) and faculty (229/278, 0.82, 0.77-0.87). Virtual learning offers a valuable educational experience that should be retained in postpandemic GME curriculums.

Design and Transition of an Emergency E-Learning Pathology Course for Medical Students-Evaluation of a Novel Course Concept

BACKGROUND

Around the world, the emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic forced medical schools to create numerous e-learning supplements to provide instruction during this crisis. The question now is to determine a way in which to capitalize on this momentum of digitization and harness the medical e-learning content created for the future. We have analyzed the transition of a pathology course to an emergency remote education online course and, in the second step, applied a flipped classroom approach including research skills training.

METHODS

In the summer semester of 2020, the pathology course at the Technical University of Munich was completely converted to an asynchronous online course. Its content was adapted in winter 2021 and incorporated into a flipped classroom concept in which research skills were taught at the same time.

RESULTS

Screencasts and lecture recordings were the most popular asynchronous teaching formats. Students reported developing a higher interest in pathology and research through group work. The amount of content was very challenging for some students.

CONCLUSION

Flipped classroom formats are a viable option when using pre-existing content. We recommend checking such content for technical and didactic quality and optimizing it if necessary. Content on research skills can be combined very well with clinical teaching content.

Providing an interactive undergraduate elective on safety culture online - concept and evaluation

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult to maintain high quality in medical education. As online formats are often considered unsuitable, interactive workshops and seminars have particularly often been postponed or cancelled. To meet the challenge, we converted an existing interactive undergraduate elective on safety culture into an online event. In this article, we describe the conceptualization and evaluation of the elective.

METHODS

The learning objectives of the safety culture elective remained unchanged, but the teaching methods were thoroughly revised and adapted to suit an online setting. The online elective was offered as a synchronous two-day course in winter semester 2020/21 during the "second wave" of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. At the end of each day, participating students evaluated the elective by completing an online survey. Items were rated on a six-point Likert scale. We used SPSS for data analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty medical undergraduates completed the elective and rated it extremely positively (1.1 ± 0.2). Students regard safety culture as very important and felt the learning objectives had been achieved. Moreover, they were very satisfied with the design and content of the elective, and especially with interactive elements like role-play. Around 55% of participants would recommend continuing to offer the online elective after the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

It makes sense to offer undergraduate medical students online elective courses on safety culture, especially during a pandemic. The elective described here can serve as a best practice example of how to teach safety culture to undergraduates, especially when physical presence is unfeasible. Electives requiring a high degree of interaction can also function well online.

Immediate consequences and solutions used to maintain medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic for residents and medical students: a restricted review

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 outbreak has dramatically impacted medical education, both bedside and academic teaching had to be adapted to comply with the reorganisation of care and social distancing measures.

OBJECTIVES

To overview the impact of the pandemic on medical education, including the pedagogical responses adopted and their assessment by medical students and residents.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This restricted systematic review was performed using Rayyan QCRI, to select observational or interventional articles and field experience reports assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education for medical students and residents. Study design, study population, geographical origin, use of an educational tools (including softwares and social media), their type and assessment, were recorded. For studies evaluating a specific tool the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) was used to assess study quality.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 1480 references and 60 articles were selected. Most articles focused on residents (41/60; 69%), and half (30/60; 50%) involved surgical specialties. Online courses were the most frequently used pedagogical tool (52/60; 88%). Simulation tools were used more frequently in articles involving surgical specialties (15/29; 52%) compared with medical specialties (2/14; 12%) (p=0.01). Only four studies reported the assessment of pedagogical tools by medical students, their MERSQI scores ranged from 5.5/18 to 9.0/18.

CONCLUSION

Medical education was highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic particularly in surgical specialties. Online courses were the most frequently attempted solution to cope with social distancing constraints. Medical students' assessment of pedagogical tools was mostly positive, but the methodological quality of those studies was limited.

Practical Scientific Writing and Publishing in Anatomic Pathology

OBJECTIVES

To develop a structured, introductory curriculum in scientific writing and publishing for residents in anatomic pathology.

METHODS

We assessed the need for this curriculum by using an online questionnaire sent to anatomic pathology residents in our program and tailored content to address areas of least familiarity. The curriculum consisted of 4 virtual lectures delivered by select experts in the field. Curriculum evaluation was assessed through a postcurriculum questionnaire.

RESULTS

In total, 27 of 31 (87%) residents responded to the initial questionnaire. The major educational need was identified in the following topics: "responsibilities of a corresponding author"; "selecting a journal for publication"; "editor's approach to evaluating a manuscript"; "correspondence with editors and reviewers"; and "open access, cost and increasing exposure to manuscript." Eight residents participated in at least 3 of 4 lectures and completed the pre- and postcurriculum survey. The postcurriculum survey demonstrated statistically significant interval increases in familiarity with 7 of 18 topics, and the leading increases were noted in topics of most significant educational need.

CONCLUSIONS

Development of novel curricula is vital to the ever-changing landscape of pathology resident education. This study proposes a generalizable algorithmic approach to assessing new areas of educational need and effectively addressing them through targeted curricula.

Teacher's acceptance toward cloud-based learning technology in Covid-19 pandemic era

Cloud-based learning technologies play a central role in ensuring that learning and teaching practice can be conducted properly in the Covid-19 pandemic era. Although such technologies are advanced in mediating educational practice, the teacher’s acceptance toward the technology is usually far less to be understandable. This research aimed to investigate teachers’ acceptance toward cloud-based learning technology, in particular, for Microsoft 365 that currently being used massively in facilitating the educational process in Indonesia. In terms of theoretical framework, Technology Acceptance Model was employed with the inclusion of two original constructs, i.e., perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), and two extensive variables, i.e., perceived risk (PR) and social influence (SI) that will predict teacher’s intention to use the cloud-based learning technology during the Covid-19 pandemic. We collected data from teachers as research participants (N = 75) using the online survey method and employed Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS for quantitative data analysis. The result revealed significant relationship among factors affecting the use of the technology, except for PU (path coefficient = 0.120, p value = 0.415) and PEU (path coefficient = 0.224, p value = 0.147). Regarding this interesting result, we add final reflections and recommendations for future lines of works.

An integrated virtual pathology education platform developed using Microsoft Power Apps and Microsoft Teams

The transition towards digital pathology and an extensive selection of video conferencing platforms have helped provide continuity to education even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Innovative approaches for pathology education, will likely persist beyond the pandemic, as they have powerful didactic potential. While there is a wide selection of software for use as educational tools, an environment to access all resources with ease is clearly lacking. In this technical note, we highlight our customized educational applications built using a low-code approach. Our applications, developed with Microsoft Power Apps, serve both educational and examination purposes and are launched using Microsoft Teams. Building applications using a low-code approach has made our applications very specific to our use and enabled daily distanced education. Combined with existing features on Teams, such as file sharing, meeting scheduling, and messaging, the applications serve as a unique and customizable pathology educational platform.

The utility of digital pathology in improving the diagnostic skills of pathology trainees in commonly encountered pigmented cutaneous lesions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A single academic institution experience

Digital pathology has become an integral part of pathology education in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, for its potential utility as a teaching tool that augments the traditional 1-to-1 sign-out experience. Herein, we evaluate the utility of whole slide imaging (WSI) in reducing diagnostic errors in pigmented cutaneous lesions by pathology fellows without subspecialty training in dermatopathology. Ten cases of 4 pigmented cutaneous lesions commonly encountered by general pathologists were selected. Corresponding whole slide images were distributed to our fellows, along with two sets of online surveys, each composed of 10 multiple-choice questions with 4 answers. Identical cases were used for both surveys to minimize variability in trainees' scores depending on the perceived level of difficulty, with the second set being distributed after random shuffling. Brief image-based teaching slides as self-assessment tool were provided to trainees between each survey. Pre- and post-self-assessment scores were analyzed. 61% (17/28) and 39% (11/28) of fellows completed the first and second surveys, respectively. The mean score in the first survey was 5.2/10. The mean score in the second survey following self-assessment increased to 7.2/10. 64% (7/11) of trainees showed an improvement in their scores, with 1 trainee improving his/her score by 8 points. No fellow scored less post-self-assessment than on the initial assessment. The difference in individual scores between two surveys was statistically significant (p = 0.003). Our study demonstrates the utility of WSI-based self-assessment learning as a source of improving diagnostic skills of pathology trainees in a short period of time.

Pathology Resident Evaluation During the Pandemic: Testing and Implementation of a Comprehensive Online Pathology Exam

Despite global digitization, evaluating pathology trainees by paper exams remains the norm. As new social distancing practices require new ways of administering exams, we assessed the viability of an online format for in-house exams from the resident and examiner perspectives. First, pathology residents participated in a practice exam, while staff who were experienced in creating exams were given an online exam-creation demonstration. Subsequently, residents completed a formal 3-hour online exam comprised of multiple-choice, matching, short answer, and whole slide images in place of the paper exam regularly used to evaluate trainees. The experience of the participants was evaluated by surveys. Eighteen residents completed the practice exam; 67% were receptive to the new format and 94% were in favor of moving to digital exams. Seven staff evaluated the digital format and 6 were in favor of it. For the formal online in-house exam, 20 residents participated and 14 completed the survey. Feedback was generally positive with the most common issue being slow-loading digital slides. Exam scores stratified by postgraduate training years in a statistically significant manner, showing positive correlation with resident training level. The online exam format was preferred over paper exams by trainees, with support from both staff and trainees for a permanent transition. Online exams have clear advantages, but technical issues should be addressed before widespread implementation. Our study demonstrates that online exams are a feasible alternative for trainee assessment, especially in socially distanced environments.

Digital Pathology Initiatives and Experience of a Large Academic Institution During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

CONTEXT.

Pathology practices have begun integrating digital pathology tools into their routine workflow. During 2020 the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged as a pandemic causing a global health crisis that significantly affected the world population in several areas, including medical practice, and pathology was no exception.

OBJECTIVE.

To summarize our experience in implementing digital pathology for remote primary diagnosis, education and research during this pandemic.

DESIGN.

We surveyed our pathologists (all subspecialized) and trainees to gather information about their use of digital pathology tools before and during the pandemic. Quality assurance and slide distribution data were also examined.

RESULTS.

During the pandemic, the widespread usage of digital tools in our institution allowed a smooth transition of most clinical and academic activities into remote with no major disruptions. The number of pathologists using whole slide imaging (WSI) for primary diagnosis increased from 20 (62.5%) to 29 (90.6%) out of a total 32 (100 %) pathologists, excluding renal pathology and hematopathology, during the pandemic. Furthermore, the number of pathologists exclusively using WSI for primary diagnosis also increased from 2 (6.3%) to 5 (15.6%) during the pandemic from the total of 32 (100%) pathologists. From 35 (100%) survey responses from attending pathologists, 21 (65.6%) reported using WSI for remote primary diagnosis following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services waiver. Of these 21 pathologists, 18 (87%) responded that if allowed, they will continue using WSI for remote primary diagnosis after the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS.

The pandemic served as a catalyst to pathologists adopting a digital workflow into their daily practice and realizing the logistic and technical advantages of such tools.

Effect of COVID-19 on Surgical Training Across the United States: A National Survey of General Surgery Residents

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 emerged as a global pandemic in 2020 and has affected millions of lives. Surgical training has also been significantly affected by this pandemic, but the exact effect remains unknown. We sought to perform a national survey of general surgery residents in the United States to assess the effect of COVID-19 on surgical resident training, education, and burnout.

METHODS

An anonymous online survey was created and distributed to general surgery residents across the United States. The survey aimed to assess changes to surgical residents' clinical schedules, operative volume, and educational curricula as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we sought to assess the impact of COVID-19 on resident burnout.

RESULTS

One thousand one hundred and two general surgery residents completed the survey. Residents reported a significant decline in the number of cases performed during the pandemic. Educational curricula were largely shifted toward online didactics. The majority of residents reported spending more time on educational didactics than before the pandemic. The majority of residents feared contracting COVID-19 or transmitting it to their family during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 has had significant impact on surgical training and education. One positive consequence of the pandemic is increased educational didactics. Online didactics should continue to be a part of surgical education in the post-COVID-19 era. Steps need to be taken to ensure that graduating surgical residents are adequately prepared for fellowship and independent practice despite the significantly decreased case volumes during this pandemic. Surgery training programs should focus on providing nontechnical clinical training and professional development during this time.

Coping With COVID-19

OBJECTIVES

The first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case in the United States was reported in Washington State. The pandemic caused drastic disruptions to medical institutions, including medical education. The Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Washington responded by rapidly implementing substantial changes to medical student clerkships.

METHODS

In real time, we converted one ongoing case- and didactic-based course, LabM 685, to remote learning.

RESULTS

Fifteen of 17 scheduled sessions proceeded as planned, including two sessions for student presentations. Two didactics were canceled as the functions of the teleconferencing platform were not sufficient to proceed. One grand rounds speaker canceled due to COVID-19 precautions. Elements of an immersive clinical laboratory clerkship, LabM 680, were repurposed to accommodate 40 medical students per class via remote learning, highlighting clinical laboratory activities that continue throughout the outbreak. A new remote clerkship, MedSci 585C, was developed incorporating distance learning and guided small-group sessions. This coincided with parallel efforts to make resident and fellow service work, conferences, and didactics available remotely to comply with social distancing.

CONCLUSIONS

The changes in medical education described reflect the dynamic interplay of current events affecting the world of clinical pathology. Throughout this, technology-while with some limitations-has provided the platform for innovative learning.

Clinical pathology resident education during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 arrived at our medical centre in March 2020 with substantial force. Clinical pathology concepts began to have a new, direct relevance to our residents' lives. As we wondered 'Have I been exposed? Do I need to self-isolate? Are the tests reliable? Am I protecting myself adequately while handling specimens?', these questions drew new interest in laboratory methods, test interpretation and limitations, supply chain issues, safety and quality. By incorporating SARS-CoV-2 teaching points into laboratory medicine lectures, we enlivened concepts of sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and methodologic issues in serologic, molecular and antigen testing for pathology residents. We drew from the emerging literature on SARS-CoV-2 to create lectures and added details from our own institutional experience with COVID-19. When the pandemic fades from memory, clinical pathology education can still benefit from mnemonics, analogies, anecdotes and creative efforts that capture the attention of the audience.

Developments in medical education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 63

BACKGROUND

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic in March 2020. This rapid systematic review synthesised published reports of medical educational developments in response to the pandemic, considering descriptions of interventions, evaluation data and lessons learned.

METHODS

The authors systematically searched four online databases and hand searched MedEdPublish up to 24 May 2020. Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts, performed data extraction and assessed risk of bias for included articles. Discrepancies were resolved by a third author. A descriptive synthesis and outcomes were reported.

RESULTS

Forty-nine articles were included. The majority were from North America, Asia and Europe. Sixteen studies described Kirkpatrick's outcomes, with one study describing levels 1-3. A few papers were of exceptional quality, though the risk of bias framework generally revealed capricious reporting of underpinning theory, resources, setting, educational methods, and content. Key developments were pivoting educational delivery from classroom-based learning to virtual spaces, replacing clinical placement based learning with alternate approaches, and supporting direct patient contact with mitigated risk. Training for treating patients with COVID-19, service reconfiguration, assessment, well-being, faculty development, and admissions were all addressed, with the latter categories receiving the least attention.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights several areas of educational response in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies a few articles of exceptional quality that can serve as models for future developments and educational reporting. There was often a lack of practical detail to support the educational community in enactment of novel interventions, as well as limited evaluation data. However, the range of options deployed offers much guidance for the medical education community moving forward and there was an indication that outcome data and greater detail will be reported in the future.

Lessons Learned From the Effects of COVID-19 on the Training and Education Workflow of Radiology Residents-A Time for Reflection: Perspectives of Residency Program Directors and Residents in Canada

PURPOSE

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to widespread changes in all health care settings including academic radiology departments. The purpose of this survey-based study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on radiology resident training and education workflow in Canada in terms of the nature, scale, and heterogeneity of the changes, preparedness and adaptation, and perceptions of the present and future of radiology training.

METHODS

A 30-question web-based survey was sent to 17 radiology residency program directors across Canada. A separate 32-question survey was sent to 460 residents currently enrolled in a radiology residency in Canada. These surveys were open for 3 weeks.

RESULTS

We received responses from 16 program directors and 80 residents (response rates 94.1% and 17.4%, respectively). Most respondents agreed that objectives were being met for knowledge and interpretation but less so for case volumes and technical skills. Less time was allotted for on-site activities (eg, readouts) with more time for off-site activities (eg, videoconferencing). Daytime rotations were at least partly cancelled. Most respondents felt these changes were met with enthusiasm by both faculty and residents. However, there were perceived challenges including lack of training on virtual platforms for delivery of teaching and decreased staff-resident interaction, with short- and long-term anxiety reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The coronavirus disease 2019 has dramatically changed radiology resident training in Canada, with increased virtual learning at the expense of cancelled rotations and the resultant reduction in case volumes and staff-resident interaction. Although adopted with enthusiasm, these changes present substantial challenges and anxiety regarding the future of radiology resident education.

["Online from tomorrow on please": comparison of digital framework conditions of curricular teaching at national university ENT clinics in times of COVID-19 : Digital teaching at national university ENT clinics]

Hintergrund

Die Corona-Krise beeinflusst nicht nur das professionelle Handeln, sondern auch die Lehre an den Universitäten. Schlagworte wie „E-Learning“ und „Digitalisierung“ suggerieren die Möglichkeit innovativer, ad hoc verfügbarer Lösungsansätze für die Lehre in der aktuellen COVID-19-Situation. Die aktuelle Umstellung auf digitale Lehre ist aber nicht primär durch eine didaktische Sinnhaftigkeit oder institutionelle Strategie, sondern durch äußere Notwendigkeit geprägt.

Ziel der Arbeit

Ziel der Arbeit war die Erfassung der Lehrsituation an nationalen Universitäts-HNO-Kliniken und akademischen Lehrkrankenhäusern zu Beginn des virtuellen Corona-Sommersemesters 2020.

Material und Methode

Ein eigens erstellter Fragebogen zur jeweiligen lokalen Situation, den örtlichen Rahmenbedingungen sowie zu bundesweiten Szenarien wurde an alle 39 nationalen Universitäts-HNO-Kliniken und 20 akademischen Lehrkrankenhäuser mit HNO-Hauptabteilung versandt.

Ergebnisse

Die ausgefüllten Fragebögen von 31 Universitätskliniken (UK) und 10 akademische Lehrkrankenhäuser (ALK) gingen in die Auswertung ein. Es zeigten sich offensichtliche Diskrepanzen zwischen verfügbaren Ressourcen und tatsächlich verfügbaren digitalisierten Lehrinhalten. Weitere Kritikpunkte offenbarten sich in Bezug auf die Kommunikation mit der Medizinischen Fakultät, die digitale Infrastruktur und insbesondere in der oftmals mangelnden Kollaboration mit den zentralen Supportstrukturen, wie Medien‑, Didaktik- und Rechenzentren.

Schlussfolgerung

Es gibt durchaus positive Beispiele für eine gelungene Überführung der Präsenzlehre in das ausschließlich virtuelle Sommersemester 2020 innerhalb der Universitäts-HNO-Kliniken. Mehrheitlich aber überwiegen kritische Einschätzungen der Lehrbeauftragten bzw. Ärztlichen Direktoren gegenüber der aktuellen Lehrsituation. Eine zeitkritische strategische Weiterentwicklung ist dringend erforderlich.

Digital pathology and artificial intelligence will be key to supporting clinical and academic cellular pathology through COVID-19 and future crises: the PathLAKE consortium perspective

The measures to control the COVID-19 outbreak will likely remain a feature of our working lives until a suitable vaccine or treatment is found. The pandemic has had a substantial impact on clinical services, including cancer pathways. Pathologists are working remotely in many circumstances to protect themselves, colleagues, family members and the delivery of clinical services. The effects of COVID-19 on research and clinical trials have also been significant with changes to protocols, suspensions of studies and redeployment of resources to COVID-19. In this article, we explore the specific impact of COVID-19 on clinical and academic pathology and explore how digital pathology and artificial intelligence can play a key role to safeguarding clinical services and pathology-based research in the current climate and in the future.

Role of digital pathology in diagnostic histopathology in the response to COVID-19: results from a survey of experience in a UK tertiary referral hospital

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our diagnostic services at a time when many histopathology departments already faced a diminishing workforce and increasing workload. Digital pathology (DP) has been hailed as a potential solution to at least some of the challenges faced. We present a survey of pathologists within a UK National Health Service cellular pathology department with access to DP, in which we ascertain the role of DP in clinical services during this current pandemic and explore challenges encountered. This survey indicates an increase in uptake of diagnostic DP during this period, with increased remote access. Half of respondents agreed that DP had facilitated maintenance of diagnostic practice. While challenges have been encountered, these are remediable, and none have impacted on the uptake of DP during this period. We conclude that in our institution, DP has demonstrated current and future potential to increase resilience in diagnostic practice and have highlighted some of the challenges that need to be considered.