Transforming Anatomopathology with XR Pathology: A Usability Study on HoloLens Integration

Pathologists have several tasks to perform when examining anatomical specimens. XR Pathology is an application designed to support this need. In fact, the application allows speech synthesis, viewing patient data, and integrating photos and videos of the materials to be examined. Allowing pathologists to handle surgical materials and interact with the application without needing clean hands facilitates computerized transcription and allows them to focus on more specialized tasks. As a result, patients benefit from faster diagnoses. The design and development process was both collaborative and user-centered. The present usability test was performed within a sample of 8 medicians, and objective and subjective measures were collected. Results showed a preference for voice interaction, positive usability, and user experience feedback. In particular, participants considered the application easy to use and learn. However, improvements are needed in task accuracy and system responsiveness. Future steps include finalizing the user journey on Hololens 2, completing regulatory processes in compliance with EU regulations for medical devices, and exploring new hardware to overcome current technological limitations. Additionally, incorporating AI for image analysis is planned. These enhancements aim to ensure the application meets medical professionals’ needs and adapts to cutting-edge technology and regulatory standards.