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. 2022 Sep 16;88(1):81.
doi: 10.5334/aogh.3673. eCollection 2022.

Telepathology in Nigeria for Global Health Collaboration

Olugbenga Akindele Silas  1 , Fatimah Abdulkareem  2 , Jorge Eduardo Novo  3 , Yinan Zheng  4   5 , Drew R Nannini  5 , Demirkan B Gursel  3 , Rose Anorlu  6 , Jonah Musa  7 , Firas H Wehbe  8 , Atiene S Sagay  7 , Folasade T Ogunsola  9 , Robert L Murphy  4 , Lifang Hou  4   5 , Jian-Jun Wei  3   4
Affiliations

Telepathology in Nigeria for Global Health Collaboration

Olugbenga Akindele Silas et al. Ann Glob Health. .

Abstract

Inadequate pathology personnel and high cost of running a Pathology facility are factors affecting access to timely and quality pathology services in resource-constrained settings. Telepathology is a novel technology that allows Pathologists to remotely assess collected samples. Though the initial cost of setting up a telepathology facility is high, its overall benefits far outweigh the cost. Its usefulness as a quality assurance measure, as a permanent image data storage system, in reducing costs associated with repeated slide preparations, reducing turn-around time of pathology reports, in collaborative research and in teaching has been well documented. This paper highlights the experiences, gains and challenges encountered in the deployment of telepathology in two resource-constrained settings in Nigeria. Overcoming the challenges associated with setting up a telepathology service in sub-Saharan Africa is important as it has the potential to improve overall health outcomes in a medically underserved region while ensuring technology and knowledge transfer are achieved.

Keywords: Nigeria; pathology services; resource-limited settings; telepathology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests to declare.

Figures

Telepathology synergy between Nigerian and American institution
Figure 1
Slide images that have been scanned and uploaded in a cloud sever are viewed remotely by local pathologists in Nigeria and their international collaborators in the US.
Cervical tissues with cancerous transformation
Figure 2
Scanned virtual image of invasive cervical cancer and viewed at low and high resolution.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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