Quality design in Anatomical Pathology

In practicing anatomic pathology, the pathology report is a reflection of the pathologist’s competence, based on the precision and accuracy involved in finalizing it. Although designing comprehensive quality system policies and procedures at the department level would appear to be the logical approach in the right direction, precision & accuracy may not be easy to achieve due to various factors. While there can be no doubt that the data provided by practitioners of anatomic pathology is highly relevant and valuable to the practice of evidence based medicine in the clinical arena one would do well to keep in mind that the knowledge base in this speciality is predominantly observational; which can create a butterfly effect in clinical outcome. Clinical practitioners play an essential role in error reduction through several avenues such as effective test ordering, providing accurate and pertinent clinical information, procuring high-quality specimens, providing timely follow-up on test results, effectively communicating on potentially discrepant diagnoses, and advocating second opinions on the pathology diagnosis in specific situations. This is indeed the right time to consider a re-look into the functioning of our anatomic pathology departments; multidisciplinary approach is ideal way forward in analyzing our final diagnosis.