Telepathy: maximizing resident exposure to surgical pathology decision making

Area of Science:

• Surgical Pathology
• Medical Education
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• General surgery residents often miss critical intraoperative pathology discussions.
• Limited exposure to frozen-section analysis hinders resident training.
• Current methods lack real-time pathologist-surgeon communication during surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess general surgery resident exposure to surgical pathology.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel telepathology system (TelePATHy) in enhancing resident experience.
• To increase resident participation in intraoperative pathology consultations.

Main Methods:

• A prospective pilot study analyzed resident exposure to surgical pathology.
• An operating room was equipped for real-time frozen section image viewing and pathologist communication (TelePATHy).
• Data collected included total operative cases, frozen section cases, and TelePATHy usage.

Main Results:

• 78% of residents reported < or =10% exposure to frozen-section pathology.
• TelePATHy was used in 32 of 44 frozen section cases (80% success rate).
• Resident presence in frozen section cases increased significantly with TelePATHy implementation.

Conclusions:

• TelePATHy significantly increased general surgery resident exposure to intraoperative pathology findings from < or =10% to 80%.
• This novel tool enhances the intraoperative learning experience for surgical residents.
• TelePATHy facilitates real-time communication and maximizes resident engagement with pathology results.