An evaluation of clinician's view on electronic pathology reporting sign off and patient safety

Pathology services form an important part of modern medical care. Clinicians often request for pathology services and utilise the results to make a diagnosis and to derive a management plan for patients. The rapid availability and acknowledgement of pathology results are essential for safe patient care. This paper describes the evaluation of clinician's view on electronic pathology sign off system. The research found that clinicians were willing to use electronic pathology sign off system. The utilisation of online demonstration as the educational tool was adequate for clinicians to feel comfortable using the system. The electronic pathology sign off system, however, created significant workflow challenges. This was mainly due to clinician's trust and reliant of the healthcare system to follow up pathology results. Electronic pathology sign off system has the potential to ensure better personal responsibility and accountability towards utilisation of pathology service. This could lead to safer patient care