DigiPatICS: Digital pathology transformation of the Catalan Health Institute network of eight hospitals – Planning, implementation, and preliminary results
In this 2022 paper published in the journal Diagnostics, Temprana-Salvado et al. of the Catalan Health Institute present the initial results of their DigiPatICS program, implemented across eight hospitals in the network. DigiPatICS, a digital pathology implementation initiative, was initiated “to increase patient safety and quality of care, improving diagnosis and the efficiency of processes in pathological anatomy departments of the ICS using digital pathology and AI tools.” However, it was not a straightforward process, requiring significant planning, After describing their planning steps, the project scope, and tender process, the authors describe multiple aspects of their approach, including the instruments, hardware, software, laboratory information system (LIS), networking, data centers, imaging standards, and AI components. After discussing the results of their implementation, the authors concluded though “[t]he digital transformation of a pathology department represented a technological, organizational, and functional challenge … [it] provided an effective and safe diagnostic tool with clear benefits for diagnosis quality and patient safety.”
