CONTEXT. Pathology practices have begun integrating digital pathology tools into their routine workflow. During 2020 the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged as a pandemic causing a global health crisis that significantly affected the world population in several areas, including medical practice, and pathology was no exception. OBJECTIVE. To summarize our experience in implementing digital pathology for remote primary diagnosis, education and research during this pandemic. DESIGN. We surveyed our pathologists (all subspecialized) and trainees to gather information about their use of digital pathology tools before and during the pandemic. Quality assurance and slide distribution data were also examined. RESULTS. During the pandemic, the widespread usage of digital tools in our institution allowed a smooth transition of most clinical and academic activities into remote with no major disruptions. The number of pathologists using whole slide imaging (WSI) for primary diagnosis increased from 20 (62.5%) to 29 (90.6%) out of a total 32 (100 %) pathologists, excluding renal pathology and hematopathology, during the pandemic. Furthermore, the number of pathologists exclusively using WSI for primary diagnosis also increased from 2 (6.3%) to 5 (15.6%) during the pandemic from the total of 32 (100%) pathologists. From 35 (100%) survey responses from attending pathologists, 21 (65.6%) reported using WSI for remote primary diagnosis following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services waiver. Of these 21 pathologists, 18 (87%) responded that if allowed, they will continue using WSI for remote primary diagnosis after the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS. The pandemic served as a catalyst to pathologists adopting a digital workflow into their daily practice and realizing the logistic and technical advantages of such tools.

中文翻译：

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2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间的数字病理倡议和大型学术机构的经验。

语境。病理学实践已经开始将数字病理学工具集成到其日常工作流程中。2020年期间，由严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）引起的冠状病毒病2019（COVID-19）成为大流行病，引起了全球性健康危机，严重影响了包括医疗在内的多个领域的世界人口实践，病理也不例外。客观的。总结我们在此大流行期间实施数字病理学以进行远程主要诊断，教育和研究的经验。设计。我们调查了我们的病理学家（所有专科医师）和受训者，以收集有关在大流行之前和流行期间使用数字病理工具的信息。还检查了质量保证和载玻片分布数据。结果。在大流行期间，我们机构中数字工具的广泛使用使大多数临床和学术活动顺利过渡到偏远地区，而没有造成重大干扰。在大流行期间，在总共32（100％）名病理学家中，使用全玻片成像（WSI）进行初步诊断的病理学家从20名（62.5％）增至29名（90.6％）。此外，在大流行期间，仅使用WSI进行初步诊断的病理学家人数也从32名（100％）病理学家中的2名（6.3％）增加到5名（15.6％）。在35位（100％）的参与调查的病理学家的调查回应中，有21位（65.6％）报告称，在医疗保险和医疗补助中心免除后，使用WSI进行远程初级诊断。在这21位病理学家中，有18位（87％）回答说，如果允许，大流行后，他们将继续使用WSI进行远程主要诊断。结论。这种流行病促使病理学家将数字化工作流程纳入日常工作，并意识到这种工具的后勤和技术优势。