Optimized flows and IT tools for digital pathology
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Linköpings universitet - Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 9 200 000 |
| Project duration | August 2012 - November 2014 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Challenge-driven innovation - Phase 2 Collaboration |
| Call | Challenge-driven innovation - Stage 2 Collaboration (2012) |
Important results from the project
The project aimed to prepare for groundbreaking improvements of health care by developing work flows and IT tools for digital work practices in pathology. This was formulated in three goals: 1. Design of a complete solution for digital pathology, including workflows and requirements on IT tools 2. Develop a demonstrator for central parts of the IT support 3. Create an academic platform to support long-term development in the area. All goals have been achieved and in many ways exceeded.
Expected long term effects
Initially, in-depth analyses were performed of how the workflows are working today and what could be improved through digitization, which confirmed the potential for significantly raised efficiency and quality. The results from the innovation efforts are manifested by the developed demonstrators, in particular the pathologist´s work station. A key achievement was the creation of an image viewer matching the speed of navigating the image in a microscope. A cornerstone has also been to spread the knowledge across professional and geographical borders.
Approach and implementation
Consistently throughout all project efforts there has been a successful and close collaboration between health care, industry and academia where all expertise has been used to create optimal solutions for pathology. A key part of the setup was to early on create demonstrator versions used as a focus point for discussions. Likewise successful was to create forums for active spreading of also existing experiences. Skepticism often stems from lack of knowledge, why the communication aspect is crucial. To have driving industrial and academic partners has also been a success factor.