A pilot study in two french medical schools for teaching histology using virtual microscopy1

Summary Purpose Glass slides and standard microscopes associated to a brief review of the lectures with projection slides were used during practical training in histology and histopathology for many years. Today it is necessary to develop new tools to improve teaching, and to face a lower number of teachers, as well the increase of the microscope maintenance costs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of virtual slide implantation in several medical schools, the feedback from students, and to develop the interest in microscopic histology. Methods We used virtual slides generated by the Samba 2050 system produced by Samba technologies. A collection of all organs for histology training was realized and overviewed by three MD, PhD. A questionnaire was distributed in middle of the year to evaluate the feedback. Results The feedback of the students is highly positive. Students works faster, on better resources, interactivity between students is increased, and the fact that this is a new modality of teaching raises the students’ interest. Conclusion Today the teaching program in two French medical schools (Lyon and Grenoble) include virtual slides alone or in addition to microscopic glass slide examination to teach histology or pathology.