- Email: [email protected]
Pathology Informatics
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P re f a c e Pathology Informatics
Anil V. Parwani, MD, PhD, MBA
Surgical pathology is a discipline that generates a spectrum of data, including text, images, and numbers, which contributes deeply to patient care either directly or via an interpretation from a pathologist who integrates the information to provide a diagnostic report. This is an exciting time in Pathology, particularly surgical pathology, as we are being confronted with a new frontier of knowledge base, which is impacting our diagnosis and even the morphologic assessment of surgical pathology entities. Pathology informatics is a relatively new and emerging area of pathology focused on the acquisition, storage, analysis, and management of information. The data sources are multiple and may involve specialized technologies, nomenclature, and processes that are integral to the way information flows through pathology systems and into specialized output areas, such as the hospital information systems and other downstream systems. Tasks that a pathologist may perform, such as tissue examination and producing a pathology report, may rely on the processes crafted by an informatics-driven workflow. The art and science of surgical pathology is going through a transformation today as surgical pathologists are finding themselves integrating data from multiple sources and converting this into useful information, which in turn is contributing to knowledge that becomes instrumental in driving the care of a patient.
Pathology informatics is the first issue in the Surgical Pathology Clinics series that has been designed to provide an overview of specialized topics in pathology informatics that will be of interest to surgical pathologists either as an introduction to some key areas of this broad specialty, such as laboratory information systems, or as more in-depth review of some complex and newly emerging areas of pathology informatics, such as molecular pathology informatics. This is by no means a comprehensive textbook of pathology informatics but rather special topics to introduce the surgical pathologist to new technologies and information systems that impact or are going to impact the practice of surgical pathology. Each topic provides an overview of the topic with direct relevance to how this information may be used by the surgical pathologist. There are key illustrations with an emphasis on practical insights into the topic. Text is provided in a concise format for efficient use by the reader with a focus on pathology informatics as it relates to the practice of surgical pathology. References are collated at the end of the issue. The vision for putting together the pathology informatics issue is that this text will serve both as an introduction to some emerging topics in the emerging and dynamic field of pathology informatics and as an up-to-date reference source for the practicing surgical pathologists as well as pathologists in training. The practice of surgical pathology is at this unique crossroads where
Surgical Pathology - (2015) -–http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.path.2015.04.001 1875-9181/15/$ – see front matter Ó 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.
surgpath.theclinics.com
Editor
ii
Preface convergence of multiple knowledge domains is already occurring. A deep understanding of the information ecosystems and the workflow needed to accomplish the vital integration of various data points in compiling the next generation of surgical pathology report will be required for the surgical pathologist to remain in the forefront of the technology and information surge.
Anil V. Parwani, MD, PhD, MBA Department of Pathology University of Pittsburgh Medical Center 200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA E-mail address: [email protected]
P re f a c e Pathology Informatics
Anil V. Parwani, MD, PhD, MBA
Surgical pathology is a discipline that generates a spectrum of data, including text, images, and numbers, which contributes deeply to patient care either directly or via an interpretation from a pathologist who integrates the information to provide a diagnostic report. This is an exciting time in Pathology, particularly surgical pathology, as we are being confronted with a new frontier of knowledge base, which is impacting our diagnosis and even the morphologic assessment of surgical pathology entities. Pathology informatics is a relatively new and emerging area of pathology focused on the acquisition, storage, analysis, and management of information. The data sources are multiple and may involve specialized technologies, nomenclature, and processes that are integral to the way information flows through pathology systems and into specialized output areas, such as the hospital information systems and other downstream systems. Tasks that a pathologist may perform, such as tissue examination and producing a pathology report, may rely on the processes crafted by an informatics-driven workflow. The art and science of surgical pathology is going through a transformation today as surgical pathologists are finding themselves integrating data from multiple sources and converting this into useful information, which in turn is contributing to knowledge that becomes instrumental in driving the care of a patient.
Pathology informatics is the first issue in the Surgical Pathology Clinics series that has been designed to provide an overview of specialized topics in pathology informatics that will be of interest to surgical pathologists either as an introduction to some key areas of this broad specialty, such as laboratory information systems, or as more in-depth review of some complex and newly emerging areas of pathology informatics, such as molecular pathology informatics. This is by no means a comprehensive textbook of pathology informatics but rather special topics to introduce the surgical pathologist to new technologies and information systems that impact or are going to impact the practice of surgical pathology. Each topic provides an overview of the topic with direct relevance to how this information may be used by the surgical pathologist. There are key illustrations with an emphasis on practical insights into the topic. Text is provided in a concise format for efficient use by the reader with a focus on pathology informatics as it relates to the practice of surgical pathology. References are collated at the end of the issue. The vision for putting together the pathology informatics issue is that this text will serve both as an introduction to some emerging topics in the emerging and dynamic field of pathology informatics and as an up-to-date reference source for the practicing surgical pathologists as well as pathologists in training. The practice of surgical pathology is at this unique crossroads where
Surgical Pathology - (2015) -–http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.path.2015.04.001 1875-9181/15/$ – see front matter Ó 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.
surgpath.theclinics.com
Editor
ii
Preface convergence of multiple knowledge domains is already occurring. A deep understanding of the information ecosystems and the workflow needed to accomplish the vital integration of various data points in compiling the next generation of surgical pathology report will be required for the surgical pathologist to remain in the forefront of the technology and information surge.
Anil V. Parwani, MD, PhD, MBA Department of Pathology University of Pittsburgh Medical Center 200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA E-mail address: [email protected]