Even before some patients get home from a diagnostic test (blood test; imaging study; biopsy), they access their patient portal on their smart phone and periodically refresh the “test results” page until the results are in. Might that be you? I’m guilty as charged. Over the next few posts, I’ll share some tips that help me use the patient portal in ways that promote Healthy Survivorship.
There’s no “right” or “wrong” about checking. There is a “best” for you for now. Just because the information is available, you don’t have to look at it. Checking for the results is healthy if doing so helps you get good care and live as fully as possible (and a bad idea if all it does is make you upset until your appointment).
A “conclusion” at the bottom of a test report is only a statement about the test result; it is not a conclusion about your situation. The findings provide one piece of information that still needs to be interpreted in the context of your medical situation. Only then can conclusions be drawn about what the result means for you and what options you have.
Testing centers notify doctors about results requiring urgent medical attention. Your healthcare team does not expect you (or depend on you) to screen for or notify them of medically dangerous results. That’s their job. That said, if a report has a conclusion, “Immediate attention required,” you can call the office, “I saw the message at the bottom of my report on my (name of test) that said it required urgent attention. Please let me know what I should do.”
Next: Tips on learning seemingly devastating results.
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