The impact of digital pathology in clinical pathology laboratories
Palviainen, Miika (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052013781
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052013781
Tiivistelmä
Digitalisation is rapidly transforming healthcare practices and pathology is one of the key specialties at the core of this development. The aim of this master`s thesis is to investigate the impacts of digital pathology within clinical pathology laboratories. The purpose of this scoping review is to explore the integration of digital pathology into clinical pathology workflows and evaluate their impact on diagnostic processes.
The master´s thesis was conducted as a scoping review. Literature was retrieved from scientific databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest Central. A total of 18 peer-reviewed publications from 2018 to 2025 were selected for final analysis based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was assessed using Hawker’s critical appraisal tool, and the data was analysed using thematic analysis.
The findings indicated that digital pathology improved workflow efficiency by simplifying processes and enabling automation, AI-assisted diagnostics, and remote collaboration. Turnaround times were reduced and the decrease in manual work and logistical burden resulted in considerable cost savings. Despite these benefits, the implementation of digital pathology still faces challenges, such as high initial investments, IT-infrastructure requirements and the need for standardisation and training.
In summary, digital pathology streamlines and accelerates clinical workflows, enhances the quality of diagnostics, and supports the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of healthcare.
The master´s thesis was conducted as a scoping review. Literature was retrieved from scientific databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest Central. A total of 18 peer-reviewed publications from 2018 to 2025 were selected for final analysis based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was assessed using Hawker’s critical appraisal tool, and the data was analysed using thematic analysis.
The findings indicated that digital pathology improved workflow efficiency by simplifying processes and enabling automation, AI-assisted diagnostics, and remote collaboration. Turnaround times were reduced and the decrease in manual work and logistical burden resulted in considerable cost savings. Despite these benefits, the implementation of digital pathology still faces challenges, such as high initial investments, IT-infrastructure requirements and the need for standardisation and training.
In summary, digital pathology streamlines and accelerates clinical workflows, enhances the quality of diagnostics, and supports the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of healthcare.