Digital pathology is frequently marketed as a high-speed upgrade to the traditional laboratory, but can that assertion survive professional scrutiny? It turns out that the answer is: it depends. A lab’s efficiency gain—or loss—following a transition to digital pathology hinges on the workflow design, the scale of implementation, and the team involved. To help you evaluate the transition, here is a breakdown of why digital pathology works for some labs while not for others.
Barriers to Efficiency:
1. Reluctance and Culture
Since pathologists are primarily concerned with not making mistakes and not wasting time, many are reluctant to change a system that, even when suboptimal, is familiar and time-tested. Others may simply relish the hands-on tactile experience of reading glass slides under the microscope. As such, many will only change if clinicians or their chairman/employer requires it. When accompanied by a negative attitude, any project’s ability to realize its full potential is limited.
2. The Infrastructure Bottleneck
Whole Slide Images are massive files, which means if a lab’s network can’t handle the data load, pathologists will spend more time watching loading bars than reviewing tissue. Some are so fast on the glass that even a minimal load time is a big setback for them, so other efficiency gains from digital pathology need to balance out this loss. In addition, their workload will temporarily double during the initial validation phase.
3. Applicability
Some subspecialties, such as forensic pathology, involve unique sampling or grossing requirements where current digital tools may not yet offer a clear advantage. If the solution doesn’t solve a specific pain point for these specialists, it becomes an administrative burden rather than an asset.
4. Selecting Incompatible or Insufficient Tools
When selecting digital pathology tools, make sure the capacity, capabilities, and scalability of those tools meet the needs of the lab and/or pathology group. Otherwise, they may experience unneeded frustrations that could delay, halt, or overcomplicate digital pathology.
Factors that would likely result in efficiency gains:
1. Workflow Optimization
With digital pathology, specimens, blocks, and slides no longer need to be kept together throughout the lab processes since all images get sorted electronically, allowing for efficient first-in, first-out LEAN workflow, especially if a non-sequential filing system is adopted. In addition, the high-resolution digital images created by scanning glass slides can be easily stored, archived, and shared electronically, making them more efficient for primary distribution, storage, and retrieval.
Traditional microscopy is also physically demanding, often leading to neck and back pain and eye strain. Digital pathology allows for an ergonomic setup—high-resolution monitors at eye level and the use of specialized controllers. A comfortable pathologist is a faster, more focused pathologist.
2. Remote Access
Digital pathology enables pathologists to work from any validated location, eliminating the time spent commuting to work and enabling flexible coverage for multiple sites. Digital images are also available as soon as they are scanned, minimizing or eliminating the expense and time spent shipping slides. Second opinions from experts are also available at the click of a button.
3. Pathologist Workflow Optimization & AI
Modern systems like Lumea’s viewer don’t just show an image; they also include algorithms to assist the pathologists for image analysis, triage, annotation, and draft report automation. These tools can increase diagnostic efficiency by helping with tasks such as cell counting, QA checks, identifying key histologic findings, and more.
4. Teaching and Training
Digital pathology can facilitate educational activities, allowing for easy sharing of educational materials and virtual training sessions without having to take, label, and organize photomicrographs, potentially saving time and resources.
The Efficiency Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | Traditional Microscopy | Digital Pathology (WSI) | Efficiency Impact |
| Case Distribution | Physical sorting and hand-delivery | Instant, automated electronic routing | High: Saves hours of tech time |
| Consultations | Days (shipping physical slides) | Minutes (with access to digital slides) | High: Faster turnaround time |
| Archiving | Physical cabinets/off-site storage | Secure local or cloud servers + physical storage | High: Instant search/retrieval |
| Analysis | Manual counting/eye-balling | AI-assisted quantification/measurement | Medium: Improved accuracy/speed |
| Physical Toll | Neck, back, and eye strain | Ergonomic, *single-monitor setup | Medium: Reduced fatigue/burnout |
| Validation | Not required (status quo) | Required | Low: Initial “time sink” during setup |
*Many digital pathology systems involve multi-monitor setups but some, like Lumea, prioritize making every application available on a single screen including molecular test ordering, AI tools, the LIS, IMS, diagnosis, reporting, and more.
Is Your Lab Ready for the Leap?
Ultimately, the choice between traditional and digital pathology depends on your specific goals, whether it’s improving turnaround time, enabling remote work, or leveraging AI. While some will always prefer the microscope, an increasing number of institutions are finding that the long-term gains in accuracy and speed far outweigh the initial learning curve. Request information to see if Lumea’s digital diagnostic workflow is for you, or try our IMS Viewer for free today!
Do you still have doubts or want to see the efficiency in action?
Read some customer stories and case studies to see how digital pathology has helped groups around the world. In one, pathologist Dr. Todd Randolph shares how using digital pathology has improved his workflow. In another, Dr. Adam Cole shares how Lumea’s prostate-specific tech has helped him provide better patient care through reducing false-negative results, improving tissue quality for better molecular testing, and saving time and expense.
“We’re all doctors. We all got into this field for a reason: the patient is central to everything we do. Using Lumea technology simply results in a better end product for our patients,” said Dr. Cole.
