A pathologist plays two key roles in patient care: diagnosis of disease and management of disease. For diagnosis, the pathologist uses laboratory tests to confirm clinical diagnoses and determine the specific cause of disease. This informs evidence-based treatment. For management, the pathologist assesses treatment effectiveness through laboratory parameters and ensures safe blood transfusions when needed through the blood bank. As an example, a pathologist would diagnose and monitor the specific cause and treatment of a patient's anemia through hematological tests.

1. PA1.1
DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF A PATHOLOGIST
IN DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF
DISEASE
Dr IRA BHARADWAJ
MCI TEACHER ID: PAT 2300569
KUHS FACULTY ID: M21512

2. SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• ROLES OF A PATHOLOGIST
• ROLE OF PATHOLOGIST IN DIAGNOSIS OF DISEASES
• ROLE OF PATHOLOGIST IN MANAGEMENT OF DISEASE
• ILLUSTRATING ROLE OF PATHOLOGIST IN PATIENT CARE IN
CASE OF ANEMIA

3. ROLES OF THE PATHOLOGIST IN PATIENT CARE
Pathologists contribute to patient care by two roles:
• Foremost role is to assist the clinician to arrive at a correct
diagnosis of the patient by laboratory methods
• Second role is in patient management, to assess
effectiveness of therapy and also to contribute to therapy of
the patient by providing safe and correct blood and blood
components

4. ROLE OF PATHOLOGIST IN DIAGNOSIS OF
DISEASES
• After the clinician makes a diagnosis or differential diagnosis,
it has to be confirmed
• This is the basis of evidence based medicine as practiced
currently
• The pathology laboratory contributes to this significantly
• Usually the laboratory has two sections – clinical &
histopathology
• The cytology section may be attached to either section
depending on several factors

5. CLINICAL LABORATORY
PATHOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY & MICROBIOLOGY
Diagnosis & management by laboratory methods includes:
• Clinical pathology
• Hematology
• Clinical biochemistry
• And various branches of microbiology
A trained clinical pathologist can usually handle all the
sections of the laboratory or all specialties may contribute to
functioning of the laboratory

6. HISTOPATHOLOGY & CYTOLOGY LABORATORY
• This is exclusively under purview of the pathologist
• Very important for tumor diagnosis, as well as other diseases
which can not be diagnosed by clinical laboratory methods
• Sometimes special techniques are also used in addition,
especially for tumor diagnosis

7. ROLE OF PATHOLOGIST IN MANAGEMENT OF
DISEASE
• Once a diagnosis has been confirmed, the clinician starts the
treatment of the patient
• After a certain period of treatment, its objective effect has to
be assessed
• Here again certain laboratory parameters are important
• Blood bank also helps by providing drug [blood & blood
components] for therapy, if needed
• This therapy has to be personalized for each patient

8. ROLES OF THE PATHOLOGIST IN PATIENT CARE
IN ANEMIA
To illustrate role of pathologist we shall consider the common
example of anemia
• Clinician suspects anemia based on patients symptoms and
signs
• To confirm diagnosis of anemia, blood has to be examined
• There are various causes of anemia and treatment depends
on cause
• So to know the cause of anemia again more tests are needed

9. ROLES OF THE PATHOLOGIST IN PATIENT CARE
IN ANEMIA
• Once cause of anemia has been confirmed in a patient, the
treatment is started
• After a certain period of treatment, the patient reports for
follow up
• Patients symptoms & signs are reassessed
• In addition certain hematological tests are performed to
assess exact improvement in the degree of anemia
• If there is no improvement, again full work up of the patient
is mandated

10. ROLES OF THE PATHOLOGIST IN PATIENT CARE
IN ANEMIA
• If the anemia is severe and critically interfering with
oxygenation of blood & supply of oxygen to vital structures,
urgent steps have to be taken to restore adequate oxygen
supply to body tissues
• To ensure necessary oxygenation of blood, patient has to be
transfused with red blood cells [as artificial hemoglobin has
not been made up till now]
• The red blood cells are provided from the blood bank. This
component has been specifically made for this patient only
[personalized] it should not be used for another patient