CAPcasts

Because pathologists are integral to patient care, they can contribute significantly to preventing and reducing medical error. Understanding causes of patient safety errors is the first step in developing and implementing programs to reduce their occurrence, according to Dr. Deborah Sesok-Pizzini, editor of the book, Patient Safety in Anatomic & Clinical Pathology Laboratories (https://capatholo.gy/2AVzvW5). In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Sesok-Pizzini discusses the cognitive and human errors that can compromise patient safety and how pathologists can create a culture of safety, including designing and implementing effective training programs.

Light-sheet microscopy is a significant advance for pathologists, because it allows them to not only examine tissue in minutes rather than days, but also to view it in three dimensions instead of two. This will ultimately lead to improved clinical care, according to Dr. Nicholas Reder, a pathologist at the University of Washington Seattle, who specializes in developing this technology.

In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Reder discusses the benefits of light sheet microscopy and its significance in the future of pathology.

For more information on emerging microscopy technologies, visit the In Vivo Microscopy Topic Center on cap.org. To get there, go to cap.org and search for “IVM Topic Center”.

CAP Press has released a new resource guide, The Color Atlas of Mycology: An Illustrated Field Guide Based on Proficiency Testing, which is intended to maintain and extend skills in this age of increasing fungal infections whether from HIV, burns, or profound immunosuppression from organ transplant or drug treatment. In this CAPcast interview, one of the co-authors, Dr. Gordon Love, will discuss how this new resource will assist pathologists and medical technologists in the laboratory identification of fungi using the most recent taxonomic classifications.

To purchase the book, please visit the CAP's estore: https://capatholo.gy/2yiLWcW.

The transition from pathology residency and/or fellowship training to junior attending status is often a source of great anxiety on the part of both new-in-practice pathologists and those who hire them. In this CAPcast, former CAP President Dr. Gene Herbek discusses some of the challenges faced by new-in-practice pathologists, as well as their pathologist employers, and offers some tips on how both groups can navigate this transition period. Dr. Herbek will be a speaking at a panel of this topic at CAP18, which will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago. For more information and to register for CAP18, visit www.capannualmeeting.org.

Physician burnout is on the rise. According to a 2015 Medscape survey, 45% of female pathologists and 33% of male pathologists show rates of burnout. Pathology, like other medical specialties, requires psychological wherewithal and perseverance and burnout, therefore, can compromise a pathologist’s ability to carry out his or her work effectively, according to Dr. Timothy Bono, a psychologist from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Bono will be one of the speakers at the upcoming CAP18 Scientific Plenary, where he will discuss physician burnout. In this CAPcast, he will discuss drivers and impact of physician burnout and how pathologists can confront burnout. To register for CAP18, held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago, visit www.capannualmeeting.org.

Female physicians report higher burnout rates compared to their male colleagues—48% versus 38%—according to a Medscape survey on physician burnout and depression released earlier this year. While female physicians may be reluctant to draw attention to gender-related differences, they do face different challenges than male physicians, explained Dr. Gina Drobena in a recent article in CAP Today on this topic: https://capatholo.gy/2pnTiH2.

In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Drobena, who is the chief of pathology for the clinical laboratory at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, discusses how physician burnout impacts female pathologists and ways to confront and cope with these challenges.

The real value of the laboratory accreditation process is the opportunity it provides for the highest level of professional validation, by peers, for the work that a director and their staff contribute to patient care, according to Dr. Gregory Gagnon. But challenging inspections are not uncommon, and there are approaches to confronting difficulties during inspections, as he will explain in this CAPcast interview. In fact, Dr. Gagnon will lead a course on this topic at CAP18, which will be held Oct. 20-24 in Chicago. For more information on CAP18, please visit www.capannualmeeting.org.

In 2017, the CAP collaborated with the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to publish a clinical practice guideline for the workup of acute leukemia. In this CAPcast, Dr. Daniel Arber, a hematopathologist with the University of Chicago Department of Pathology, discusses the reason for the new guideline and how pathologists can work with their fellow clinicians to implement the new guideline to improve diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for acute leukemia patients.

For more information on the CAP-ASH guideline, “Initial Diagnostic Workup of Acute Leukemia,” please visit CAP.org and the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine: https://capatholo.gy/2CDmvY8.

Not only is Dr. Kevin Pho a board-certified internal medicine physician, he is also a pioneer in the presence of physicians on social media, a topic he details in a book that he co-authored entitled, “Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices.”

Dr. Pho is the CAP18 spotlight speaker, and in this CAPcast interview, he discusses how pathologists can make a profound difference through social media. He will be speaking on Sunday, October 21 at 5:45pm at CAP18 in Chicago. For more information and to register for CAP18, please visit capannualmeeting.org.

When a breast cancer patient wanted to actually see her cancer cells—what she called the dragon she was slaying, she turned to Dr. Lija Joseph, a pathologist at Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts. Since March of last year, Dr. Joseph has opened her laboratory to over 30 patients, allowing them to view their tissue under a microscope.

In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Joseph shares her experience with patients and how it has impacted her practice as a pathologist. She will also share her story on Inspiration Stage at CAP18 in Chicago on Tuesday, Oct. 23, along with Drs. Crystal Moore and Barbarajean Magnani. For more information and to register for CAP18, please visit www.capannualmeeting.org.