Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital is setting up an AI-powered pathology service
Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital in Thailand has integrated AI and computational technologies into its newly launched pathology information system.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The PIS at the 300-bed SiPH, a hospital unit under Siriraj Hospital’s medical faculty, integrates laboratory workflows, image scanning systems and centralized data processing.
Previously, SiPH, which opened in 2012, did not have its own pathology laboratory. “(We) sent samples to the Pathology Department of Siriraj Hospital instead,” says Dr. Pornsuk Cheunsuchon, director of SiPH’s Digital Pathology Center.
When planning this system in late 2021, AI was a key consideration. The PIS, which went live earlier in March, features speech-to-text and smart forms to simplify data entry. Another AI, powered by IBM processing technology, analyzes high-resolution slide images, streamlining the identification of potential cancerous tissues. This AI is currently being applied to suspected cases of prostate cancer.
The PIS is also powered by IBM’s data storage and security solutions.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
“The speed and accuracy of the work have increased,” Dr. Cheunsuchon said Healthcare IT news when asked about the AI implementation. The PIS, he noted, “introduced significant automation of several aspects of the workflow,” including documentation and identification of high-risk cases. The system can also automatically order additional tests and provide alerts for significant findings.
“For example, speech-to-text technology has reduced typos, while AI is helping to screen prostate cancer cases by helping pathologists prioritize preliminary results,” said Dr. Cheunsuchon.
“The system enables automatic ordering of additional tests and filters cases to provide alerts for important findings, reducing manual workload and streamlining the overall diagnostic process,” he added.
SiPH’s AI-driven pathology service has now processed more than 14,000 test orders. The hospital continues to upgrade and improve the system, including the user interface and experience. SiPH plans to further expand “integrated, automated AI-powered diagnostics” to accurately detect more cancer cases.
THE BIG TREND
In digital pathology, another Asian hospital, South Korea’s Samsung Medical Center may have the world’s most comprehensive system to date. Last year it became the first hospital in the world to reach Phase 7 of the HIMSS Adoption model for digital imaging. One of the features of the integrated digital pathology system is its 5G network connectivity, which is said to have helped significantly reduce test consultation times.