Improving the communication of urgent and significant unexpected diagnoses in anatomic pathology

Authors

Rina Kansal, Molecular Oncology and Genetics, Diagnostic Laboratories, Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Varsha Manucha, Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States.
Govind Bhagat, Department of Pathology, St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, United States.
Lee-Ching Zhu, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Xiaoying Liu, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States.
Dalia Y. Ibrahim, Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States.
Daniel Mettman, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, United States.
Darly Knoedler, Advocate Health - MidwestFollow
Amar Subramanian, Regions Hospital, HealthPartners, St Paul, MN, United States.
Frederic Askin, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Gretchen Galliano Gooch, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, United States.
Alexandra Brown, Center for Quality and Patient Safety, American Society for Clinical Pathology, Chicago, IL, United States.
Sachin Gupta, Center for Quality and Patient Safety, American Society for Clinical Pathology, Chicago, IL, United States.

Recommended Citation

Kansal R, Manucha V, Bhagat G, et al. Improving the communication of urgent and significant unexpected diagnoses in anatomic pathology. Am J Clin Pathol. Published online November 26, 2025. doi:10.1093/ajcp/aqaf113

Affiliations

Aurora West Allis Medical Center

Abstract

Objective: To identify challenges, opportunities, and best practices for improving the communication of urgent and significant unexpected diagnoses in anatomic pathology, to enhance diagnostic excellence and patient safety.

Methods and results: The American Society for Clinical Pathology convened a group of eleven pathologists from diverse practice settings who discussed the challenges, opportunities, and best practices for improving communication of urgent and significant unexpected findings in anatomic pathology. Through structured discussions, the group identified the challenges such as variability in definitions of urgent and significant unexpected diagnoses and lack of standardized protocols. The group developed a set of best practices and strategies to support timely notification, clear documentation, and standardized communication processes within the healthcare teams to ensure appropriate patient management based on the communicated diagnoses.

Conclusions: Timely and effective communication of urgent and significant unexpected findings in anatomic pathology is essential for patient safety. Standardized definitions and protocols, combined with collaborative strategies, can improve diagnostic accuracy and clinical outcomes. Future research should focus on building an evidence base to support these practices and evaluate their impact on patient care.

Document Type

Article

PubMed ID

41299876