Webcasting pathology department conferences in a geographically distributed medical center

Automated whole slide imaging

BACKGROUND

Automated high-speed, high-resolution whole slide image (WSI) technology is being rapidly adopted in pathology owing to increased speed of computing, rapid networking, and high image quality and potential to reduce the overall turnaround time required for slide assessment. Method/objectives: This review presents the structure, functioning and performance of some of the WSI systems available in the market and highlights a few validation studies that have been performed to assess the overall utility of WSI systems.

CONCLUSION

The automated WSI is a robotic microscope that digitizes the entire slide field by field and uses software to merge or stitch individual fields into a composite image. Commercially available systems provide many improved functions that are useful for editing the digital images and improving the image quality.

Telepathology for patient care: what am I getting myself into?

The vast advancements in telecommunications and converting medical information to a digital format have increased the number of applications within telemedicine. Telepathology, in simplest terms, is the practice of formally rendering a pathologic diagnosis based upon examination of an image rather than of a glass slide through traditional microscopy. The use of telepathology for clinical patient care has so far been limited to relatively few large academic institutions. Although a number of challenges remain, there is increasing demand for the use of information technology in pathology as a whole owing to the expansion of health care networks and the opportunity to enhance the quality of service delivered to patients. The software used to acquire, display, and manage digital images for clinical patient care may be subject to national and federal regulations just as is any other electronic information system. Despite the barriers, telepathology systems possess the capability to help manage pathology cases on a global scale, improve laboratory workload distribution, increase standardization of practice and enable new classes of ancillary studies to facilitate diagnosis and education even in the most remote parts of the earth.

Use of live interactive webcasting for an international postgraduate module in ehealth: case study evaluation

Background

Producing “traditional” e-learning can be time consuming, and in a topic such as eHealth, it may have a short shelf-life. Students sometimes report feeling isolated and lacking in motivation. Synchronous methods can play an important part in any blended approach to learning.

Objective

The aim was to develop, deliver, and evaluate an international postgraduate module in eHealth using live interactive webcasting.

Methods

We developed a hybrid solution for live interactive webcasting using a scan converter, mixer, and digitizer, and video server to embed a presenter-controlled talking head or copy of the presenter’s computer screen (normally a PowerPoint slide) in a student chat room. We recruited 16 students from six countries and ran weekly 2.5-hour live sessions for 10 weeks. The content included the use of computers by patients, patient access to records, different forms of e-learning for patients and professionals, research methods in eHealth, geographic information systems, and telehealth. All sessions were recorded—presentations as video files and the student interaction as text files. Students were sent an email questionnaire of mostly open questions seeking their views of this form of learning. Responses were collated and anonymized by a colleague who was not part of the teaching team.

Results

Sessions were generally very interactive, with most students participating actively in breakout or full-class discussions. In a typical 2.5-hour session, students posted about 50 messages each. Two students did not complete all sessions; one withdrew from the pressure of work after session 6, and one from illness after session 7. Fourteen of the 16 responded to the feedback questionnaire. Most students (12/14) found the module useful or very useful, and all would recommend the module to others. All liked the method of delivery, in particular the interactivity, the variety of students, and the “closeness” of the group. Most (11/14) felt “connected” with the other students on the course. Many students (11/14) had previous experience with asynchronous e-learning, two as teachers; 12/14 students suggested advantages of synchronous methods, mostly associated with the interaction and feedback from teachers and peers.

Conclusions

This model of synchronous e-learning based on interactive live webcasting was a successful method of delivering an international postgraduate module. Students found it engaging over a 10-week course. Although this is a small study, given that synchronous methods such as interactive webcasting are a much easier transition for lecturers used to face-to-face teaching than are asynchronous methods, they should be considered as part of the blend of e-learning methods. Further research and development is needed on interfaces and methods that are robust and accessible, on the most appropriate blend of synchronous and asynchronous work for different student groups, and on learning outcomes and effectiveness.

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Introduction:

E-Learning methods such as webcasting are being used increasingly in healthcare education, including that of nurses and midwives. Webcasting means live synchronous broadcasting over the internet, where students participate simultaneously in text ‘chat room’ interactive discussions when logged on to a webpage where they can see and hear a presentation such as a PowerPoint lecture, a list of other participants, and access ‘chat rooms’.

Aims:

This paper reports student participation and satisfaction with the use of webcasting in a third year undergraduate nursing and midwifery research methods module in one higher education institution faculty of health and social work in the southwest of England, with students from distributed geographical locations.

Materials and Methods:

Students chose either webcasts or face-to-face lectures. Following each of the four webcasts, a web-based evaluation questionnaire was administered in a cross-sectional survey design.

Results:

Two thirds of students took part in webcasts and found them to be an acceptable teaching and learning strategy. Travel and cost savings were noted through not travelling to the main university campus, and these were statistically significantly correlated with students’ perception of gaining from the module and their overall satisfaction with webcasting. Across the four webcasts 5446 purposeful messages were posted indicating engagement with the material under study.

Conclusions and Recommendations:

Webcasting is an effective teaching and learning strategy which is popular with students, allows remote access to teaching and learning, and offers time and cost savings to students. Further research is required to investigate the educational potential of this new technology.

Telepathy: maximizing resident exposure to surgical pathology decision making

BACKGROUND

General surgery residents are often not present for the critical intraoperative discussion between surgeon and pathologist regarding surgical pathology findings.

METHODS

A prospective pilot study analyzed general surgery resident exposure to surgical pathology. Thereafter, an operating room was equipped to view frozen section images in real time and verbally communicate with the pathologist (TelePATHy). Total operative cases, cases using frozen sections, and use of TelePATHy were recorded.

RESULTS

Most residents (78%) reported they were exposed to frozen-section surgical pathology < or =10% of the time. Overall, 202 operations were performed over the 123-day period. Forty-four cases had frozen-section specimens. General surgery residents were present for 40 cases. TelePATHy was successfully used in 32 cases (80%).

CONCLUSIONS

General surgery resident exposure to intraoperative pathology findings increased from a reported < or =10% to an observed 80%. TelePATHy is a novel intraoperative tool capable of maximizing the intraoperative experience of the surgical resident.