The Swedish healthcare region, Skåne, has gone live with a digital pathology solution from the international medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company, Sectra. The solution is an extension of Region Skåne’s existing IT solution for handling medical images. The region’s four pathology departments will now have a fully digital workflow for reviewing tissue samples, without the need for paper and glass slides. The extension provides pathologists with access to pathology images all over the region, allowing capacity and competence to be utilised more effectively across the hospitals. This will translate into more equal healthcare since patients will have the same access to specialists regardless of which hospital they are treated at.
Eliminating the need for physical glass slides, digital access enables pathologists to instantly access and share current and historical images regardless of time and location. In addition, a digital solution provides pathologists with functionality beyond the microscope, including assistance at critical decision points, such as grading or performing more precise measurements. The solution also facilitates the use of tools based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the quality and efficiency of the reading – for example, through image analysis, which reduces variation and improves the precision of tasks such as cell counting.
Region Skåne has used Sectra’s solution for handling medical images since 2008. This same solution has now been extended to also include a digital workflow for pathology. A common solution for radiologists and pathologists enables them to smoothly share images and information with each other. Like radiologists already do, pathologists will now be able to prepare for multidisciplinary team meetings digitally. This will enable Region Skåne to utilise the benefits of integrated diagnostics and increase the quality of care for its patients. Sectra’s enterprise imaging solution will handle approximately one million examinations per year, including radiology, breast imaging and pathology.
“Working close to our customers and supporting them in providing patients with better and more effective care is part of our identity as a company. It means a lot to us when we get the opportunity to be part of a healthcare provider’s digitisation journey for so many years as we have with Region Skåne,” said Mats Björnemo, President, Sectra Sweden.
Sectra’s enterprise imaging solution, which is used by Region Skåne, is modular and supports the most image-intense departments: radiology; pathology; cardiology; and orthopaedics. Being built on the same technical platform, customers can easily extend a departmental solution to create a comprehensive VNA and enterprise image management solution without major investments or the replacement of existing components.
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