Regional coordination center

In the Western Norway Health Region all pathology departments are now fully digitized, meaning that all tissue sections are scanned and stored digitally, and most of the diagnostics is carried out digitally. So far, this has had a positive effect on workflow and division of labor, and also improved the documentation of diagnostics. However, there is still an enormous untapped potential in this digitization, as computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) tools are expected to make pathology diagnostics even more efficient. A major goal for the PiV project is to develop and implement CAD tools in the clinical pathology diagnostic workflow. 

 

As a continuation of the PiV project, a regional coordination center for computer-aided diagnostics will be established in the Western Norway Health Region. The purpose of this center is to work towards implementation and maintenance of CAD tools in the pathology diagnostic workflow. Furthermore, it will provide professional counselling and research support, and facilitate further training, research and development within the field in the region. 

 

A major task in the establishment phase will be to develop structures and agreements that can ensure coordinated evaluation, acquisition and implementation of CAD tools across all four pathology departments in the region, in addition to unified protocols for maintenance and quality control of CAD tools in the clinical workflow​​. Furthermore, we also aim to develop systems that can evaluate and measure the gains (e.g. time saved and increased precision of diagnostics) of implementing CAD tools in the diagnostic workflow. 

 

The organizational and administrative framework and funding sources for the center is yet to be clarified. The time frame for the establishment of the center is two years, and the work was started in January of 2023. We aim that the center will be fully operational by the end of 2024.