Patient access to lab results online is a direct result of the U.S. government's HITECH Act of 2009. This act mandated the use of electronic medical records (EMRs) and also required practices that utilized them to provide patients with access.
Many healthcare professionals are providing patient lab results through online portals, but some physicians may wonder how this affects their relationships. While studies show an increasing trend of patients who utilize these portals, obtaining results in this way can be a source of anxiety for some people.
How Data Access Affects Patients
The International Journal of Medical Informatics reported on a 2015 survey of 226 patients who had accessed their online medical records with the National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K. Generally, the responses were positive. Patients used the portal to receive information without having to call the doctor's office, and also to print results or medication lists that might be relevant to future medical care. Some used their access to track their conditions over time or as a reference so they could seek more information on the internet. They felt this gave them "an enhanced role in managing their health." On the flip side, some patients felt that the information was not complete enough, did not provide explanations for results and caused the patient to call the physician's office or schedule an additional visit when questions were raised that were not answered in the correspondence.
A study performed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and reported in PLOS One found similar results. Survey respondents overwhelmingly found the portal useful and felt that this mode of communication "made their provider more accessible to them." Patients felt more engaged and used the portal similarly to patients mentioned in the previous study. However, this study also found that accessing lab results in this way can cause anxiety, which could increase the number of patient visits.
Patients reported anxiety when receiving test results after business hours or just before weekends when they couldn't call their physicians for clarifications. However, physicians reported that on two occasions patients found abnormal test results that were missed by the physician, and felt that this was a positive aspect of the portal.
Mitigating Patient Anxiety
Patients expect to receive results more quickly in the age of digitized healthcare. However, as the UPMC study found, they may be skeptical of getting information that has not been reviewed by their physicians. Patients enjoy the accessibility of written results, but since taking notes during an office visit or over the phone feels rushed and can be prone to error, they sometimes feel neglected when receiving abnormal results from a system instead of a physician.
Reports will ideally be accompanied by a physician's note that the results were normal, or that they were abnormal, with an explanation of what that means. This can be a personalized note or even a link to a trusted health resource. Results from other tests such as ultrasound scans are similarly useful for gynecology patients to view and print, but can be confusing if they are difficult to understand.
Other considerations — such as a note that slightly abnormal results are no reason for alarm — may mitigate some situations that could induce anxiety in a patient.
Communicating With Patients
Patients should be aware of how quickly their results will be available online, and practices should ensure that results are consistently available at the promised time. Further, patients should be reassured that they are always welcome to call the office with any questions.
Physicians can better doctor-patient relationships with tools like online portals that work well and provide patient access to lab results. Patient access to labs or other test results online engages them in their own care, and allows them to gain a better understanding of their health overall and over time.
