Pathology pots; linking educational value

A large, accumulated collection of pathology specimens without descriptions and with minimal labelling is being developed as a shared, multi-centre teaching resource. The aims are to create a system simple to implement over a long period of time, simple to transfer between institutions, and simple for learners to work with. We are linking the physical pathology specimen with Internet-based information by tagging the pot with machine readable code. Pathologists review pathological specimens and make a short audio recording for each, describing the visible pathology, their causes, and often including a fictitious case that aids linking of symptoms to pathology for the learner. The audio recording and relevant links are added to a custom website’s database, generating a new dynamic web-page and a unique QR code that is printed and applied to the specimen’s case. Students can use a mobile device with a QR code scanning application to scan the code and be directed to a mobile-optimised website that holds the title for the pot, a small image and a 3–5 min audio description of the visible pathology. In this way the emphasis is applied to the pathology specimen itself, aiming to encourage students to engage with the physical tissue and not solely the internet-based information.