Owkin, an end-to-end AI-biotech that uses AI to unlock precision drug discovery, development, and diagnostics, has launched its latest report, State of the Nation: Opportunities and Challenges for Digital Pathology and AI Solutions, exploring the evolving landscape of digital pathology and AI in healthcare in the UK.
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Conducted in partnership with Censuswide, the research highlights challenges that pathologists and oncologists in the UK face around increasing workloads, complexity of diagnoses, and burnout. It also underscores the potential of AI to enhance patient care, streamline workflows, and improve access to diagnostics amid the growing demand for personalised therapies for complex diseases like cancer.
Meriem Sefta, chief diagnostics officer at Owkin, said: “When doctors are overworked, it can cause diagnostic errors, delays in reporting, and overall reductions in the quality of care. This can then negatively affect patient outcomes. Digital pathology and AI are poised to make a real difference in this context, relieving this burden on pathologists and ensuring patient care is always as effective as possible.”
Addressing burnout in the industry
The survey reveals a number of current pain points in the diagnostic process, including issues related to operations, workload, ways of working, burnout, and stress. The report revealed that 66% of UK pathologists and oncologists experience high stress or burnout, with 60% citing a heavy workload as a significant burden. Over a third (36%) even rated their mental health as neutral to poor due to their jobs.
Rising cancer incidence and the increasing complexity of diagnoses exacerbate these pressures, with many pathologists nearing retirement and fewer entering the field. Burnout and mental health issues don’t just affect healthcare professionals – it has significant implications for patients, with 35% of responses indicating that the burdens they face are detrimental to patient care. Nearly 36% said they couldn’t get pathology test results quickly enough and could not see or help as many patients as they'd like.
By reducing testing times and facilitating precision medicine, AI and digital pathology can potentially improve access to care, especially in underserved regions. However, pathologists and oncologists stress that technological solutions must complement, not replace, human expertise.
AI’s transformative potential
Digital pathology, accompanied by AI solutions, has the potential to revolutionise the field and alleviate pressure on pathologists. By streamlining the testing process and automating routine tasks, labs can reduce waiting times, enable faster analysis and delivery of results, and resolve delays that often hinder patient care.
Encouragingly, 70% of surveyed professionals in the UK believe AI can cut test waiting times and address staffing challenges, while 68% see its potential to accelerate oncological diagnostics. Trust in AI is also growing, with 84% of pathologists expressing confidence in AI tools and 74% believing their patients are comfortable with its use.
AI-powered tools offer the potential to enhance biomarker screening, prioritise urgent cases, and provide new insights into patient outcomes and treatment responses, but survey respondents emphasised the need for clear clinical evidence and successful trials to drive adoption. Integration of AI tools is further slowed by barriers such as insufficient IT resources and infrastructure (44%), the cost of digitisation and AI technology (40%), and lack of funding (38%) have slowed the adoption of digital pathology and AI solutions.
The future of pathology depends on embracing AI and digital technologies to enhance patient care and streamline workflows, as well as overcoming challenges around funding and implementation. The demand for accurate and timely pathology solutions is rapidly growing, and AI is poised to catalyse digital pathology adoption.
The way forward
Owkin is at the forefront of digital pathology innovation with solutions like MSIntuit CRC and TLS Detect. This report highlights key steps to advance digital pathology and AI adoption, including standardising imaging protocols and workflows for interoperability, enhancing accessibility with cloud-based solutions, building trust through education on AI’s capabilities, and revising reimbursement models to incentivise innovation.
In a world increasingly dependent on technology to transform our ways of working, understanding how pathologists and oncologists can adopt AI products into their day-to-day work will be critical in generating more accurate insights that can enhance cancer diagnostic accuracy and ultimately lead to better patient outcomes.