Abstract:
This review has considered some of the developments that have taken place with and which are shaping digital
pathology. Of the different technologies surveyed, digital imaging is the one that will be adopted at the
fastest rate. Today software programs enable pathologists to create and read the digital «slides.» Unlike traditional
histological samples, microscopic users are able to create digital images almost any tissue sample traditionally
viewed under a microscope. The advantages offered by cloud computing also allow researchers to
create accessible databases and to share images rapidly. In outlining current trends, the chapter has described
many of the advantages that arise from digitalization. The process remains a developing arena, however and
there remain barriers to adoption. Barriers to adoption include limiting technology, image quality, problems
with scanning all materials (e.g., cytology slides), cost, digital slide storage, inability to handle highthroughput
routine work, regulatory barriers, ergonomics, and pathologists' reluctance. In time, many of these
will be overcome as technology and education move on. Some possibilities of digital technology are facilitating
personalized medicine where therapies are tailored to the individual and also empowering people to manage
their own health through access to electronic health records. How quickly these come to pass remains to
be seen; the key message is, however, that digital technology is transforming healthcare and the future delivery
of pathology services in new and remarkable ways.
