Five main themes emerged from the data: current methods of communicating results, factors that should influence the methods for communicating results, bearing responsibility for the task of communicating test results, barriers to communicating results, problems inherent in different methods of test result communication and perceptions of patients' expectations.
"When Health's at Stake, Waiting Is the Hardest Part" (July 24) brings attention to a critical issue in patient-centric care: the importance of communicating test results in a timely manner.
Because the pre- and postanalytic processes extend into the clinical operations of the hospital, the laboratory can play an important role in promoting patient safety by assisting clinicians with test ordering, communicating test results appropriately, and aiding in the interpretation of results.
The inconsistent and informal ways of communicating test results – for example by phone – in mainstream medicine also led to confusion.
Many described some level of anxiety and uncertainty when communicating test results, with a few describing the process as 'scary' or 'intimidating'intimidating
(Secretary; FG2) Current systems for communicating test results in primary care are informal and none of the practices interviewed had protocols in place.
Our patients indicated that it never occurred to them that their health care provider lacked a standard procedure for communicating test results to patients.
To analyse a medical protection organisation's database to identify hazards related to general practice systems for ordering laboratory tests, managing test results and communicating test result outcomes to patients.
Some physicians did not want to create undue concern in patients by communicating test results: "If a patient has a pathological test, then it might worry the patient'will I collapse?
A standardised process that feasibly minimises the risk of breaching confidentiality by staff when communicating test results to patients face-to-face or over the telephone (including potential redesign of working areas to enhance privacy).
