Hope Leman, who just did a wonderful job interviewing me on her blog, also asked me about this quote in a previous post:

“Not only do we now have information that this rule (”doctor sees results first”) is probably harmful, we are learning that it’s probably not wanted, from physicians, who are talking to patients.”

She asked me to clarify, which I am happy to do. Below is a graphical image of what two very important studies just showed:

Hope’s question:

I don’t see how that would be harmful. Do you mean because he would then be overly persuasive and the patient would be a weaker position info possession wise?

To clarify, I did not mean that it’s harmful for doctors to see test results before their patients. Not at all. I think if a physician seeing a result and then informing the patient in a timely manner is ideal. I also think the patient seeing the result and then having a dialogue with the patient is ideal, too, relative to what is not ideal.

What is not ideal is a significantly abnormal result coming back and the patient not finding out about it, for obvious reasons.

So what I meant was, “a workflow that doesn’t allow a patient to see their test results in a timely manner is harmful.” When a system requires the doctor to see the result before the patient can, there’s a risk that the patient will never get it. When there is failure to notify, there could be failure to treat, which can be devastating.

Beyond this risk, patients and families are not demanding that their doctors see their test results first anyway, so this is just another reason to change the rule “patient doesn’t get to see their test results until the doctor does.”

The key is patient (and family) access to their own results, so they can assist in the accuracy and safety of their care. And they will do it, as I quoted previously, from the Disruptive Women in Health Care blog:

Although we may not think it’s our responsibility to read our operative report or a pathology report… it could mean the difference between a good or bad result in the best case scenario, or life and death in the worst case scenario. In the end, your health information is just that…..yours. No one will care more about it, or own it, in quite the same way as you.

I hope this explanation was better; if not, comment away!