Informatization of the pathological anatomy service of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation: current status and vectors of development.

Objective. In the course of their professional activities, heads of pathological anatomy organizations are faced with the need to resolve problematic issues of a clinical and organizational nature. The wide range of tasks being resolved by the pathological anatomy service (PAS) determines the importance of maintaining its close ties with the clinic, creating structures that combine educational, scientific, and diagnostic areas, as well as the significance of centralizing these structures. A steady trend over the past two decades has been the development of high technologies, which increases the automation of various processes and optimizes the work of both individual laboratories and healthcare institutions as a whole. One of the tools that increases the effectiveness of PAS tasks is the introduction of information systems into routine activities. It is important to analyze the state of the pathomorphological service in terms of trends and methods for improving its efficiency and informatization, as well as to identify problematic issues and ways to solve them. The aim of the study is to characterize the peculiarities of functioning of pathology and anatomy departments and bureaus of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the status of oncological morbidity, and to determine the current directions of PAS development. Methodology. The material was based on the documents regulating the activities of pathology and anatomy departments and bureaus of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, as well as scientific publications on the organization and problems of functioning of departments of this profile, indexed in the Russian National Library and the Scientific Electronic Library. The content analysis method was used, which allowed us to analyze text arrays (normative-legal documents) and products of communicative correspondence with subsequent substantive interpretation to identify facts and trends of the reviewed documents. Results. Despite the existing regulatory documents governing the functioning of PAS, the ongoing process of computerization of pathological anatomy departments in recent years still lacks clear legislative justification. One of the persistent trends in recent years is the continuing shortage of personnel and material and technical resources in pathological anatomy departments. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of ante-mortem pathological examinations of biopsy (surgical) material (+8.2% compared to 2022), of which the share of material of the highest degree of complexity (categories IV and V) amounted to more than 54.2%. One effective solution to this problem is the digital transformation of this area, aimed at automating various processes and optimizing the work of healthcare institutions. The introduction of medical and laboratory information systems makes it possible to increase the number of tests, reduce the time required to perform them, create an archive to reduce the number of repeat tests, and, in general, reduce the administrative burden on staff. Modern healthcare technologies make it possible to expand the capabilities of medical institutions by creating a unified information space with the ability to quickly transfer test results to attending physicians and consultants, improve the quality of medical documentation, and simplify the creation of reporting documents. Conclusions. The PAS is under serious pressure due to chronic staff shortages and the moral and physical obsolescence of equipment, against the backdrop of an annual increase in the amount of biopsy material. The increase in the number of pathological studies of surgical material is largely due to the expansion of oncological diagnostics. At the same time, the incidence of malignant neoplasms in the Russian Federation remains high, despite preventive measures and improvements in the effectiveness of cancer treatment. The trend toward increased detection of malignant neoplasms has continued in recent years and is due to both an increase in life expectancy and improved access to imaging methods in the post-COVID era. One effective way to improve the quality of antemortem (biopsy) examinations and speed up diagnosis is to computerize the pathological anatomy service.