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1.1 What made you first consider histopathology?
Mandatory module?
Serendipity?, a desire to help people, a love of science
1.2 Of what does the word pathology make you think?
Pathology is derived from the Greek word, pathos meaning suffering. Ology refers to the study of a subject therefore pathology could be described as the study of suffering. However, a less literal approach would describe pathology as the study of disease.
1.3 What information would you need to give your consent for histopathological analysis?
Consent should be informed, as such information about how the tissue is used should be provided. For histopathology there should be information about how their tissue is handled and that it is needed to form a diagnosis and also that surplus tissue is needed to ensure the overall quality of all tests performed.
1.4 What information would you need as a patient to understand what was happening to your specimen following an operation or procedure?
The patient would need to understand that the sample had the potential to yield a diagnosis on their case. The biopsy might also yield prognostic information. The patient would need to know that surplus diagnostic tissue is a valuable source of data which might support the quality of further testing on other patient samples.
1.5 Why is sample handling from the dead considered differently?
Tissue from the living and tissue from the dead have separate legal standings in the UK. Tissue from the living is usually given freely by patients to mgive a diagnosis to their condition or suspected condition. Tissue from the dead is taken at post-mortem. In a hospital post-mortem consent must be taken from the family of the deceased. It is documented and stored in the patient record. The family may stipulate limits on the use of the tissue which must be adhered to. In cases where a death is unnatural, suspicious or unexpected the death must be referred to the local coroner who will decide if the death needs to be investigated. If this is the case then a post-mortem examination needs to take place. If the pathologist carrying out the post-mortem examination can confirm the cause of death then tissue is unlikely to be taken for histology. However, if the cause iof death is unclear or needs to be confirmed them the coroner will authorize samples to be retained for histological investigations. In the UK Key legislation involved includes the Human Tissue Act 2004 and The Coroner’s Act 1984.
1.6 What are the standard minimum acceptance criteria for the receipt of a sample in a histopathology laboratory?
Minimum acceptance criteria include the following
a) Name
b) Date of birth or hospital number
c) Specimen type
Minimum acceptance criteria are important as they allow the correct report to be created. It is also very helpful if the clinicians details and location are included on the specimen request then the correct report can be returned to the source.