Features of the organization of issuing histological slides and blocks to patients in a multidisciplinary medical institution

Abstract

Introduction. In oncological practice, an antemortem pathology study is carried out to diagnose the disease and determine treatment strategies. Some patients request histological specimens from pathology department archives, which can be due to a search of a second opinion or patients’ routing features. Insufficient attention is paid to the problem of issuing archived materials to patients. We aimed to find ways to enhance the quality of medical care by improving the procedure of issuing histological specimens. Materials and methods. We performed a statistical analysis of an Excel database, which included patients’ requests of taking archived histological specimens from the Pathology Department of Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientific Center. The database contained requests from 2021 and was supplemented with data from the medical information system. Results. In 2021, the Pathology Department issued 6.8% of all reports on antemortem pathology studies conducted the same year. The requests were received from patients of all adult age groups, with female patients aged 50–59 requesting archived material most often (2–4 weeks and 1–3 months after the pathology report had been signed). Oncological pathologies dominate in the reports, the most frequent being malignant neoplasms of breast (C50) and digestive organs (C15–C26) [the diagnosis codes are given according to ICD-10]. The pathology department issued archived material on average to 8 patients per day. Based on the data obtained, an internal order was developed regulating the procedure for issuing archived material to patients. Conclusion. The analysis made it possible to optimize the work of the pathology department in terms of issuing the results of archived pathology reports to patients. It also enabled us to identify the directions of further research, i.e., finding out patients’ motivation for obtaining a second opinion and improving the safety of medical service in the pathology department. Keywords: antemortem pathology study, histological specimens, archived material, issuing antemortem pathology study reports, second opinion, safety of medical service

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