The use of digital microscopy as a teaching method for human pathology: a systematic review

Since digital microscopy (DM) has become a useful alternative to conventional light microscopy (CLM), several approaches have been used to evaluate students’ performance and perception. This systematic review aimed to integrate data regarding the use of DM for education in human pathology, determini...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology 2020-10, Vol.477 (4), p.475-486
Main Authors: Rodrigues-Fernandes, Carla Isabelly, Speight, Paul M., Khurram, Syed Ali, Araújo, Anna Luíza Damaceno, Perez, Danyel Elias da Cruz, Fonseca, Felipe Paiva, Lopes, Márcio Ajudarte, de Almeida, Oslei Paes, Vargas, Pablo Agustin, Santos-Silva, Alan Roger
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Pathology
Quality in Pathology
Review and Perspectives
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Summary:Since digital microscopy (DM) has become a useful alternative to conventional light microscopy (CLM), several approaches have been used to evaluate students’ performance and perception. This systematic review aimed to integrate data regarding the use of DM for education in human pathology, determining whether this technology can be an adequate learning tool, and an appropriate method to evaluate students’ performance. Following a specific search strategy and eligibility criteria, three electronic databases were searched and several articles were screened. Eight studies involving medical and dental students were included. The test of performance comprised diagnostic and microscopic description, clinical features, differential, and final diagnoses of the specimens. The students’ achievements were equivalent, similar or higher using DM in comparison with CLM in four studies. All publications employed question surveys to assess the students’ perceptions, especially regarding the easiness of equipment use, quality of images, and preference for one method. Seven studies (87.5%) indicated the students’ support of DM as an appropriate method for learning. The quality assessment categorized most studies as having a low bias risk (75%). This study presents the efficacy of DM for human pathology education, although the high heterogeneity of the included articles did not permit outlining a specific method of performance evaluation.
ISSN:0945-6317
1432-2307
DOI:10.1007/s00428-020-02908-3