J Pathol Inform Editor-in-Chief: Anil V. Parwani , Liron Pantanowitz, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Pittsburgh, PA, USA For entire Editorial Board visit : www.jpathinformatics.org/editorialboard.asp OPEN ACCESS HTML format Original Article The history of pathology informatics: A global perspective Seung Park, Anil V. Parwani, Raymond D. Aller 1 , Lech Banach 2 , Michael J. Becich 3 , Stephan Borkenfeld 4 , Alexis B. Carter 5 , Bruce A. Friedman 6 , Marcial Garcia Rojo 7 , Andrew Georgiou 8 , Gian Kayser 9 , Klaus Kayser 10 , Michael Legg 11 , Christopher Naugler 12 , Takashi Sawai 13 , Hal Weiner 14 , Dennis Winsten 15 , Liron Pantanowitz Departments of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 1 Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2 Anatomical Pathology, and National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa, 3 Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 4 International Academy of Telepathology, Heidelberg, Germany, 5 Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 6 Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 7 Hospital General de Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain, 8 Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, 9 Institute of Pathology, University Freiburg, Freiburg, 10 Institute of Pathology, Charite, Berlin, Germany, 11 Centre for Health Informatics and e‑Health Research, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, 12 Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, and Calgary Laboratory Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 13 Pathology, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, 14 Weiner Consulting Services, Florence, OR, 15 Dennis Winsten and Associates, Inc., Healthcare Systems Consultants, Tucson, AZ, USA E‑mail: *Seung Park ‑ parks3@upmc.edu *Corresponding author Received: 02 January 13 Accepted: 09 March 13 Published: 30 May 13 Abstract Pathology informatics has evolved to varying levels around the world. The history of pathology informatics in different countries is a tale with many dimensions. At first glance, it is the familiar story of individuals solving problems that arise in their clinical practice to enhance efficiency, better manage (e.g., digitize) laboratory information, as well as exploit emerging information technologies. Under the surface, however, lie powerful resource, regulatory, and societal forces that helped shape our discipline into what it is today. In this monograph, for the first time in the history of our discipline, we collectively perform a global review of the field of pathology informatics. In doing so, we illustrate how general far‑reaching trends such as the advent of computers, the Internet and digital imaging have affected pathology informatics in the world at large. Major drivers in the field included the need for pathologists to comply with national standards for health information technology and telepathology applications to meet the scarcity of pathology services and trained people in certain countries. Following trials by a multitude of investigators, not all of them successful, it is apparent that innovation alone did not assure the success of many informatics tools and solutions. Common, ongoing barriers to the widespread adoption of informatics devices include poor information technology infrastructure in undeveloped areas, the cost of technology, and regulatory issues. This review offers a deeper understanding of how pathology informatics historically developed and provides insights into what the promising future might hold. Key words: History, pathology informatics, clinical informatics, electronic medical record, laboratory information systems, pathology education Copyright: © 2013 Park S. This is an open‑access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article may be cited as: Park S, Parwani AV, Aller RD, Banach L, Becich MJ, Borkenfeld S, et al. The history of pathology informatics: A global perspective. J Pathol Inform 2013;4:7. Available FREE in open access from: http://www.jpathinformatics.org/text.asp?2013/4/1/7/112689 Access this article online Website: www.jpathinformatics.org DOI: 10.4103/2153-3539.112689 Quick Response Code: