Implementation and use of electronic synoptic cancer reporting: an explorative case study of six Norwegian pathology laboratories.

Background: The information contained in histopathology reports on surgical resections of cancer is fundamental for both patient treatment and cancer registries. Electronic synoptic histopathology reporting is considered superior to traditional narrative reporting with respect to both completeness and feasibility of data use. An electronic template for colorectal cancer reporting was introduced in Norway in 2005, but implementation has varied greatly between different pathology departments.

Structured electronic health records.

In order to succeed in realising general health-policy goals for cancer care, they must be formulated as specific and realistic objectives. An administrative organ must be provided with the authority and funding needed to establish the technical solutions required. Reporting to national registries must take place automatically in electronic form, on the basis of ongoing structured reporting in the patient records.

Retrospective review of diagnostic histopathology samples in research projects: transparency should be the practice with respect to diagnostic discordance.

Retrospective review of diagnostic histopathology samples in secondary research projects may generate cases with discordance in diagnosis between the pathologist originally signing out the sample and the reviewer. In this article the authors discuss ethical and legal issues involved in secondary review and propose how diagnostic discrepancies in research projects can be handled. Research participants have the right to know about and control the handling of personal data.

Stakeholder analysis: a useful tool for biobank planning.

Stakeholders are individuals, groups, or organizations that are affected by or can affect a particular action undertaken by others. Biobanks relate to a number of donors, researchers, research institutions, regulatory bodies, funders, and others. These stakeholders can potentially have a strong influence upon the organization and operation of a biobank.

Structured electronic template for histopathology reporting on colorectal carcinoma resections: five-year follow-up shows sustainable long-term quality improvement.

Context: To improve quality, pathology organizations have published guidelines with key parameters for histopathology reporting on cancer resections. Checklists or structured templates improve upon the presence of key parameters in histopathology reports, but data are lacking on long-term sustainability of such reporting. From 2003 to 2006, the Cancer Registry of Norway and the Norwegian Society of Pathology collaborated on the development of a structured electronic template for histopathology reporting on colorectal carcinoma resections.

Template reporting matters--a nationwide study on histopathology reporting on colorectal carcinoma resections.

Complete and accurate histopathology reports are fundamental in providing quality cancer care. The Cancer Registry of Norway and the Norwegian Society of Pathology have previously developed a national electronic template for histopathology reporting on colorectal carcinoma resection specimens. The present study was undertaken to investigate (1) whether quality routines in Norwegian pathology laboratories might affect completeness of such histopathology reports and (2) whether the national electronic template improves completeness of histopathology reports compared with other modes of reporting.

Structured electronic template for histopathology reports on colorectal carcinomas: a joint project by the Cancer Registry of Norway and the Norwegian Society for Pathology.

Both individual patient treatment and cancer registries depend on adequate histopathology reports. To ensure the quality of these reports, professional organizations have published guidelines on minimum data sets for various cancer types. Norway has a population of 4.

Vascular low-flow malformations in children: current concepts for classification, diagnosis and therapy.

Congenital vascular malformations (CVM) are made of dysplastic vessels with no cellular proliferation. Low- or slow-flow malformations (LFM) consist predominantly of venous and/or lymphatic vessels. Correct terminology is necessary for differentiating vascular malformations from tumours such as haemangiomas, in order to prevent ineffective or even adverse therapy.