Virtual microscopy: An educator's tool for the enhancement of cytotechnology students' locator skills

Abstract

Virtual microscopy (VM) is being utilized as an educational tool in many areas of pathology. The aim of this study is to analyze the locator and diagnostic skills of cytotechnology students by using the Aperio T3 ScanScope, and examine VM's viability as an educational tool in cytotechnology. Ten validated cytology slides were digitized and reviewed by three senior cytotechnologist instructors. Each technologist made annotations indicating diagnostic areas on the virtual slide. A subset of the slides was used for locator skill evaluation. Cytotechnology students examined a pristine copy of the virtual slide and made annotations for comparison to those made by experienced instructors. Annotations of the subset were then scored based on the degree of correlation between students and cytotechnologists. A cytopathologist performed a final review of the students' marks; points were then added or subtracted based on this interpretation. Students were graded based on their correlation to senior cytotechnologists. A statistical analysis using modified interrater calculations ranked the students as to locator ability, producing illuminating results. This study shows that VM has promise as a cytotechnology educational tool by allowing the instructor to evaluate students' locator and diagnostic abilities. We have attempted to implement a simple scoring system for evaluation of locator skills where students are compared versus expert cytotechnologists. We anticipate further technological improvements as the products mature.

Virtual microscopy in pathology education

“…Viewing over the Web is even slower and would not be acceptable for clinical work. Finally, there have been a number of other reports describing virtual microscopy for cytology, including description of software interfaces to teach locate and identify skills [18][19][20][21]. The above activity, and the fact that a number of vendors appear to be working on efficient 3-D solutions, offers promise for the future of virtual microscopy in cytology education.…”

Construction and implementation of a comprehensive hematopathology virtual teaching set

“…Also, through a virtual set, it is possible to track the users' movement and provide feedback that could help develop and hone identification of the most highyield field of views. This innovation might have utility in residency or fellowship training programs and is similar to what has been proposed for virtual microscopy applications for cytotechnology students' education [9]. Internet-deployed, comprehensive virtual teaching sets provide several significant advantages over traditional glass slide sets.…”

Current Status of Whole-Slide Imaging in Education

“…In addition, annotated digitized slides are very useful for teaching cytomorphology to cytotechnologists. The use of annotations for evaluation has excellent results, allowing comparison between expert cytologists and students [47]. …”