Köteles Maria Magdalena, Țica Ovidiu, Olteanu Gheorghe Emilian
Pathology Department, County Emergency Hospital Bihor, 410169 Oradea, Romania.
Department of Morphological Disciplines, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410073 Oradea, Romania.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 May 30;13(11):1302. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13111302.
Pathology is essential for cancer diagnosis, bridging clinical and surgical fields, and requires adequate infrastructure, technology, and skilled staff to meet standards of care. In Romania, healthcare underfunding limits pathology laboratories' capacity to provide timely and accurate diagnoses, leading to delays that could negatively impact treatment and patient outcomes. Our study aimed to assess the status of publicly funded pathology laboratories in Romania and identify key areas for improvement.
We analyzed public hospitals in Romania, excluding specialized and non-general care institutions, to evaluate pathology laboratories. A 10-item survey was distributed over 12 months via email, phone, administrative offices, and professional networks to pathologists working in these laboratories, regardless of their hierarchical position. A total of 154 pathology services were represented. The questionnaire assessed technical capabilities, diagnostic techniques, automation, staffing, infrastructure, and satisfaction with funding and resources. Responses were gathered with both predefined and open-text fields to capture comprehensive insights.
The findings revealed that many pathology laboratories faced significant challenges, including a lack of automation, limited integration of modern technologies, and barriers to digitalization. Despite these issues, pathologists reported higher-than-expected levels of satisfaction with their laboratories.
A comprehensive understanding of existing practices is necessary to drive the modernization of pathology services, establish national standards, and improve collaboration both within and across specialties. Without such foundational insight, efforts to enhance the integration and effectiveness of pathology services are likely to remain constrained.
病理学对于癌症诊断至关重要，它连接着临床和外科领域，并且需要足够的基础设施、技术和熟练的工作人员来达到护理标准。在罗马尼亚，医疗资金不足限制了病理实验室及时提供准确诊断的能力，导致可能对治疗和患者预后产生负面影响的延误。我们的研究旨在评估罗马尼亚公立病理实验室的状况，并确定关键的改进领域。
我们分析了罗马尼亚的公立医院（不包括专科医院和非综合护理机构）以评估病理实验室。通过电子邮件、电话、行政办公室和专业网络，在12个月内将一份包含10个项目的调查问卷分发给在这些实验室工作的病理学家，无论其层级职位如何。总共代表了154个病理服务机构。该问卷评估了技术能力、诊断技术、自动化、人员配备、基础设施以及对资金和资源的满意度。通过预定义字段和开放文本字段收集回复，以获取全面的见解。
研究结果显示，许多病理实验室面临重大挑战，包括缺乏自动化、现代技术整合有限以及数字化障碍。尽管存在这些问题，病理学家对其实验室的满意度高于预期。
要推动病理服务现代化、制定国家标准并改善各专业内部及跨专业的协作，必须全面了解现有做法。没有这种基础性的见解，提高病理服务整合度和有效性的努力可能仍会受到限制。
