Public awareness on histopathology specialty: The doctor behind the microscope

Despite its importance in patient care, public awareness of histopathology and the role of histopathologists remain overshadowed. This study aimed to assess Jordanians' public awareness of histopathology and identify areas of misconception or lack of understanding.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults (>18 years) in Jordan through a web-based questionnaire. The survey evaluated participants' knowledge and perceptions of histopathology, including the nature of histopathologists' work, their educational requirements, and their role in patient care. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and multivariate linear regression were used to analyze the data.

A total of 614 participants completed the survey, of which 41% did not recognize histopathology as a medical specialty. The majority identified pathologists as medical doctors whose main job is diagnosis of diseases among living patients, while some participants have misconceptions about associating histopathologists' work with performing autopsies or laboratory tests. Underestimation of the duration of training required to become a certified histopathologist and misconceptions regarding the diagnostic decision-making on selected sample procedures were noticed. Female gender, educational level, and medical background were associated with higher knowledge scores.

Despite acceptable general knowledge, the observed misconceptions and lack of understanding regarding histopathology among the public necessitate interdisciplinary collaboration between pathologists and other healthcare professionals to increase the public awareness.