5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  Pathology explanation clinics let pathologists discuss patients’ tissue findings and digitized slides directly with patients in plain language.

• 2

  The author describes a pathologist’s explanation of their own slide as changing how they understood their diagnosis.

• 3

  Mayo Clinic, Duke Health, Tufts Medical, Endeavor Health, and Michigan Medicine are among institutions with pathology explanation clinics.

• 4

  The article says direct explanations can help patients understand their reports and reduce the burden on ordering physicians to interpret technical findings.

• 5

  The author argues that patient clinics make pathologists more visible as clinicians and can strengthen patient satisfaction, institutional loyalty, and pathologists’ sense of purpose.