"Pathology services can enhance the whole process of patient care from request to the interpretation of data – sample in, knowledge out!"

Key projects and priority areas

Gifford is currently involved in a number of different work streams surrounding pathology IT. These include:

Dr Gifford Batstone

• Pathology messaging data using HL7 - Pathology messaging supports electronic communications between laboratories and General Practice. This increases the speed at which requests and results are processed and, more critically, means information is passed directly between clinical systems, improving clinical governance processes. For full details about the project please visit the pathology messaging web pages.
• Developing a process for governance of the pathology catalogue.
• Decision support in requesting and interpreting laboratory assays.
• The evidence base for pathology investigations.

Events and engagement opportunities

01 July: Pathology workshop, Leeds – Pathology experts from across the country were invited to a workshop session to help set the agenda for the future for IT in pathology. The purpose of the workshop, held by NHS CFH was to:

• Review how the various work streams in Pathology IT are integrated.
• Determine new areas of activity that should be addressed.
• Prioritise areas of activity.
• Determine approaches to maintaining an integrated approach to Pathology IT to meet both clinical and secondary user needs.
• Governance of the pathology catalogue (PowerPoint, 77Kb), Pathology IT model (PDF, 99Kb)

This workshop of key pathology professionals brought together current initiatives and longer term needs of the role of pathology in enhancing the quality of patient care. A summary the proceedings of the pathology IT summit (PDF, 152Kb) are now available to download.

The outcome of the workshop has also been documented in a strategy document (PDF, 306Kb).

Resources

• 'Towards an evidence-based pathology catalogue' Reproduced from the bulletin of The Royal College of Pathologists (2008;143:177-178). With the kind permission of The Royal College of Pathologists, 2 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AF. Tel: 020 7451 6700; fax: 020 7451 6701; website: www.rcpath.org"
• Why HL7? http://www.hl7.org.uk/
• 'Report of the Review of NHS Pathology Services in England' Chaired by Lord Carter of Coles - Read the report to see the pathology business model that pathology IT and the NHS national IT infrastructure must support.

Do you have a question for Gifford?

E-mail: NCL@nhs.net – please put 'Pathology' as the subject for your email query.