OUTCOMES AND INFORMATICS

Objective.-To provide an overview of the potential contribution that i nformatics can make for pathologists who become involved in outcomes a ssessment and management. Data Sources.-Contemporary scientific articl es centered on pathologists and the assessment of outcomes, the defini tions of outcomes assessment and management, and related methodologic issues, especially those pertaining to information technology and outc omes, and a summary of eight independent group process sessions involv ing volunteer pathologists and a group facilitator discussing issues r elated to informatics and outcomes as structured by a clinical scenari o with focusing questions. Study Selection.-Articles reviewed were dra wn primarily from the literature published since 1985 and found throug h Medline key word searches of titles and abstracts; likely articles w ere then selected for subsequent detailed review on the basis of the a bstract's contents. Group process data were drawn from summaries of ea ch of the eight groups as prepared by the facilitator from notes taken during the session by a designated scribe. Conclusions.-It is crucial for pathologists to participate in clinical outcomes studies. Informa tics can serve as a tool kit for performing outcomes studies relevant to pathology (eg, collect data or analyze data), or it can be seen as a malleable component of health care processes that can be modified to achieve improved outcomes. Pathologists see many potential avenues fo r using informatics to leverage the impact that the pathologist and la boratory can have on clinical outcomes. Focusing on some specific info rmatics learning objectives can help the pathologist become a leader i n outcomes studies.