Internet Pathology Suite - Global

By visiting the iPath site [click here to access the public server], information needed to diagnose and treat disease may be exchanged. Physicians may share knowledge with colleagues by

• entering a medical discussion forum where cases may be presented to other physicians for discussion and comment within dedicated user groups. (The sender of the information controls who has access to the consultation information; the intention is to foster mutual discussion where questions are invited);
• accessing information about cases from various sources; and
• connecting their microscopes to the Internet and then sharing their findings with others (who then may provide feedback to senders of specimens).

To date, physicians from Bangladesh, Germany, India, Iran, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam have utilised the service. Although the programme has expanded to enable many kinds of specialists to utilise the service, the software was initially developed for pathologists. Here are a few examples of pathology-related applications: Samedan is a small regional hospital in the Swiss Alps without a resident pathologist. iPath-Telemicroscopy enables frozen section diagnosis by pathologists from the University of Basel. In addition, members of the German bone tumor working group (AGKT) use iPath to discuss difficult cases with their colleagues. Images and case description are stored on the server. The server sends an email notification to all members of the working group, who then give their opinions. The IHNS (Inland Northwest Health Service) has funded a telepathology network for the Spokane, WA region of the US that is intended to provide support for rural hospitals. Pathologists and lab techs at the Sacred Heart Medical Center and at the Holy Family Hospital in Spokane may help with remote frozen sections and consult with each other. Other applications of iPath have been utilised in West and South Africa. Specifically, the Norwegian-based Kizuki Group has started a West African Doctors Network that includes a telemedicine facility based on the iPath software. The site is used for telepathology collaborations. To facilitate collaboration within Africa and to strengthen a south-south dialogue, the server is open to all health workers and doctors in Africa.

In 2001, a hospital with no resident pathologists, the National Referral Hospital of Honiara, Solomon Islands, approached the University of Basel for help. The University worked to establish a tiny histology lab at the Hospital. Specimen are prepared there and digital images are sent to the server, where a number of pathologists from Europe and US review the cases. Over 50 cases have been diagnosed there so far.

Two independent projects in Cambodia and Laos have been organised; other projects in Nepal and in Ethiopia are being planned.