DigiPatICS: Digital Pathology Transformation of the Catalan Health Institute Network of 8 Hospitals—Planification, Implementation, and Preliminary Results
Jordi Temprana‐Salvador, Pablo López-García, Josep Castellví, Lluís de Haro, Eudald Ballesta, Matias Rojas Abusleme, Miquel Arrufat, Ferran Marqués, Josep R. Casas, Carlos Gallego, Laura Pons, José Luís Mate, Pedro L. Fernández, Eugeni López‐Bonet, Ramón Bosch, S. Martínez, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Xavier Matías‐Guiu
Abstract
Complete digital pathology transformation for primary histopathological diagnosis is a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. Its advantages are clear with more efficient workflows, but there are many technical and functional difficulties to be faced. The Catalan Health Institute (ICS) has started its DigiPatICS project, aiming to deploy digital pathology in an integrative, holistic, and comprehensive way within a network of 8 hospitals, over 168 pathologists, and over 1 million slides each year. We describe the bidding process and the careful planning that was required, followed by swift implementation in stages. The purpose of the DigiPatICS project is to increase patient safety and quality of care, improving diagnosis and the efficiency of processes in the pathological anatomy departments of the ICS through process improvement, digital pathology, and artificial intelligence tools.