Personal slide scanner vs. Conventional multi-slide scanner

Scanning speed: is it the right metric for quick work?

The speed at which one slide is scanned by the machine may have little actual bearing to how long it takes to get a scanned image of a slide. Let’s imagine you are a lab technician with a prepared sample slide in your hand and you need it scanned and turned into an image file. Here are two scenarios to consider for time, effort and workflow.

CONVENTIONAL MULTI-SLIDE SCANNER

1. Walk to the third floor/next building/location where the scanner sits
2. Book your turn on the scanner
3. Wait for your turn
4. Load the slide in the tray
5. Run set up with focus map, etc. (several minutes)
6. Scan the slide (30 seconds)
7. Wait for the scanner to eject the slide
8. Return to your desk
9. Connect to server to view the image files
10. Ensure the scan was successful
11. BONUS: if scan wasn’t perfect, repeat every phase

PERSONAL SLIDE SCANNER

1. Insert slide
2. Set up (10 seconds)
3. Scan the slide (2 minutes)
4. View the image file on your computer
5. BONUS: if pathologist isn’t present, email the image or even let the pathologist themselves remotely operate the scanner from wherever they are

The Grundium Ocus® digital slide scanners make digital pathology simple and fast. Their excellent quality-to-price ratio makes the Ocus attainable to practically any pathology establishment, a heavy procurement process isn’t needed. The screen sharing and remote operation do away with the need for the pathologist to be onsite and getting a second opinion is only a click away.

Book an online demo or come see Grundium at an industry event near you to test it and see for yourself, how easy it is to scan and share images with an Ocus, and how it fits your line of work. You’ll be surprised how this level of image quality and usability can come in such a small, affordable and beautifully designed package!

If you have questions about picking the right setup for your application, contact us for personal assistance!