Digital & Computational Pathology - Assistant Professor of Pathology, Italian Academic Hospital

An Assistant Professor of Pathology at an Italian Academic Hospital discusses their experience and plans regarding digital pathology. They began using digital pathology in 2012 and have since acquired scanners and platforms for sharing information and storing virtual slides. They plan to acquire a larger scanner and switch the entire routine of the pathology department to digital. They are interested in introducing AI tools but have not yet acquired any approved tools. The stakeholder uses digital pathology to share slides and information with other centers and provide encrypted access for viewing slides and sharing reports. They estimate spending around €150,000 in 2022 on digital pathology and anticipate spending around €700,000 over the next five years. They currently scan around 7,000-8,000 renal slides per year and plan to use digital pathology for all slides in the future. The stakeholder discusses their spending on scanners, image management software, and AI tools. They emphasize the need for standardized slide formats and partnerships between different providers. In the near future, they expect an increase in slide digitization, the use of AI tools, and the implementation of larger scanners. Lastly, the impact of COVID-19 on digital pathology in Italy was minimal compared to other countries.