The advancement of technology in the field of healthcare became far more pronounced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If we learnt a lesson or two, one was surely about embracing technology in all its glory, be it for telemedicine, electronic health records, digital health monitoring and of course telepathology which was no exception. Telepathology and digital microscopy is the perfect duo that is revolutionizing the field of pathology.
Telepathology: The perfect combination of technology in pathology
Traditional pathology came with its limitations be it human errors, delayed diagnosis, or accuracy. When we talk about revolution in healthcare, the field of diagnostics has showcased a promising facelift with telepathology. Leveraging technology with use of telecommunication technology to enable electronic transmission of pathological images, has enabled remote consultation, diagnosis, and education. Telepathology has made the lives of pathologists easy by providing access to images for interpretation and analysis, distance no barrier. This has enabled quicker results, increased accuracy within time-limits. Static Telepathology enabled by digital microscopes, allowing digital images to be transmitted electronically to a remote pathologist proved to beneficial in cases where diagnostics centres were far off, image transfers were slower due to geographical boundaries and consultation could be carried out by doctors remotely. This itself proved to be a major step forward in the field of diagnostics.
The disruption in diagnosis was further accelerated with dynamic telepathology.
Diagnosis at its best, what does digital microscopy do for Telepathology?
Dynamic telepathology that is real-time telepathology allows the real-time transmission of live images from a microscope to a pathologist irrespective of location. This paved the way for remote sharing, viewing and immediate, seamless, and collaborative consultation, that aided discussion of cases between pathologists and doctors at different locations. With the rise of smart devices with better cameras and sharing capabilities, along with faster internet connectivity, dynamic telepathology started becoming possible and is gaining popularity. Thus, forging ahead and making strides in the world of diagnostics where quicker prognosis can be accomplished. New-age diagnostics is possible with the use of digital imaging technology that not only captures and assists in viewing microscopic images at remote locations but also focuses on real-time sharing of images and immediate consultations with medical teams across geographies. Digital microscopy has further given a boost to telepathology with its live imaging options and consults where images could also be stored, analysed, and shared electronically and can be viewed at a later date if required. In addition, digital microscopy gives medical insights and medical decision making based on evidence and intelligent data analysis with the help of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. This results in increased efficiency and shorter turnaround time in diagnosis. Digitization of reports also becomes crucial in pathology, saving time and effort of pathologists and thus reducing workload.
We have come a long way from the times where the slides and images had to be physically transported and doctors also had to meet in person to discuss cases. Digital microscopy while saving time for patients, also improved accessibility and more accurate conclusions and thus better patient outcomes.
CILIKA – Paving the way for the future of Telepathology
CILIKA microscopes have pioneered a new era in new-age diagnostics, with the best digital setup for telepathology. Professionals using CILIKA can live stream whole slides in real-time for second opinions and diagnosis with other pathologists or doctor as well as capture, store in the cloud and share high-resolution images and videos when needed. CILIKA is the world’s first smartphone integrated digital microscope for clinical and research applications. This means that doctors can consult while on the go, which means that the reports can be viewed from your smartphone without the need to log in to a computer or laptop. While professionals are so busy, constantly on the move, CILIKA being portable can be carried and use from multiple locations / or places of work can be used by professionals while travelling from one hospital to another, or to the medical university or while heading home. This saves a lot of time and helps in work-life balance as well. Smartphone enabled pathology is the perfect answer to hectic schedules, geographical boundaries, and time constraints. CILIKA is truly ushering a new era of diagnostics with its digital microscopy on the move.
In conclusion, modern healthcare delivery or new-age pathology is incomplete with the intervention of the powerful combination of digital microscopes and telepathology. CILIKA is forging ahead, leaving no stone unturned in disrupting the field of pathology with efficient, accurate, and real-time diagnostics.