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Guidance for remote reporting of digital pathology slides during periods of exceptional service pressure: An emergency response from the UK royal college of pathologists
Bethany Jill Williams1, David Brettle1, Muhammad Aslam2, Paul Barrett3, Gareth Bryson4, Simon Cross5, David Snead6, Clare Verrill7, Emily Clarke1, Alexander Wright8, Darren Treanor1
1 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
2 Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wales
3 County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Darlington, UK
4 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Scotland
5 University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
6 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry; University of Warwick, Warwick, UK
7 Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
8 University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Bethany Jill Williams
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds; University of Leeds, Leeds
UK
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jpi.jpi_23_20
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Pathology departments must rise to new staffing challenges caused by the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic and may need to work more flexibly for the foreseeable future. In light of this, many pathologists and departments are considering the merits of remote or home reporting of digital cases. While some individuals have experience of this, little work has been done to determine optimum conditions for home reporting, including technical and training considerations. In this publication produced in response to the pandemic, we provide information regarding risk assessment of home reporting of digital slides, summarize available information on specifications for home reporting computing equipment, and share access to a novel point-of-use quality assurance tool for assessing the suitability of home reporting screens for digital slide diagnosis. We hope this study provides a useful starting point and some practical guidance in a difficult time. This study forms the basis of the guidance issued by the Royal College of Pathologists, available at: https://www.rcpath.org/uploads/assets/626ead77-d7dd-42e1-949988e43dc84c97/RCPath-guidance-for-remote-digital-pathology.pdf.
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