IMPLEMENTATION OF VIRTUAL MICROSCOPY IN MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING OF PATHOLOGY; FIRST EXPERIENCE OF LIBYA IN MISURATA UNIVERSITY

Pathology education includes an important visual part supporting a wide range of theoretical knowledge. However,the use of traditional microscopes in pathology education has declined over the last decade and there is a lack ofinterest for microscopy. Virtual microscopy, which was first described in 1985 and has experienced a revolutionsince 2000, is an alternative technique to conventional microscopy, in which microscopic slides are scanned to formdigital images and stored in the web. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of virtual microscopy in practicalpathology sessions and its effects on our students and undergraduate education at our faculty. Forty third yearmedical students who were used to conventional microscopes were included in the study. The practical sessionswere carried out via virtual slides and the effect of the new technique was investigated by a scale at the end of thegeneral pathology module. Academic staff from the pathology department joined sessions to promote discussion andrespond to questions. Student ratings were analysed statistically. The evaluation of the ratings showed that thestudents were easily adapted to the use of virtual microscopy. They found it user-friendly and thought that theopportunity of viewing slides at home was advantageous. Collaboration between students and interactive discussionswas also improved with this technique. It was concluded that the use of virtual microscopy could contribute to thepathology education of our students.