The role of informatics in patient‐centered care and personalized medicine

Abstract

The practice of cytopathology has dramatically changed due to advances in genomics and information technology. Cytology laboratories have accordingly become increasingly dependent on pathology informatics support to meet the emerging demands of precision medicine. Pathology informatics deals with information technology in the laboratory, and the impact of this technology on workflow processes and staff who interact with these tools. This article covers the critical role that laboratory information systems, electronic medical records, and digital imaging plays in patient-centered personalized medicine. The value of integrated diagnostic reports, clinical decision support, and the use of whole-slide imaging to better evaluate cytology samples destined for molecular testing is discussed. Image analysis that offers more precise and quantitative measurements in cytology is addressed, as well as the role of bioinformatics tools to cope with Big Data from next-generation sequencing. This article also highlights the barriers to the widespread adoption of these disruptive technologies due to regulatory obstacles, limited commercial solutions, poor interoperability, and lack of standardization.Cancer Cytopathol 2017;125(6 suppl):494

Structured Data Storage for Data-Driven Process Optimisation in Bioprinting

“…This includes the systematic documentation of the experiments within an electronic lab notebook (ELN), providing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in a structured or even interactive protocol [28] and machine-readable data transfer to automated analysis interfaces. Hanna and Pantanowitz [29] stressed in their report on histology analysis in the medical field that further meaningfulness can be reached by limiting the number of possible analysis outcomes by drop-down lists and categorisation. To access complex data sets, many commercial and non-commercial database system and software solutions are available [30].…”

Cytopathology is the Nexus for patient‐centered care

“…In this supplement, the role of information technology is within the domain of Dr. Liron Pantanowitz, professor of pathology and biomedical informatics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Pantanowitz advocates that “cytology laboratories with strong pathology informatics support are more likely to meet emerging genomic demands” because “the contemporary practice of cytopathology in the molecular era has become increasingly dependent on information technology.” His narrative covers the critical roles that laboratory information systems, electronic medical records, and digital imaging play in patient‐centered personalized medicine, and it underscores the value of integrated diagnostic reports, clinical decision support, and whole‐slide imaging.…”