The 21st Century Cures Act implemented a new provision in April 2021, mandating that all medical test results be promptly released to a patient’s electronic medical record as soon as they are available. Consequently, many patients are now able to access and review their test results before their healthcare provider.
However, a significant issue arises as many medical reports are not tailored for patient comprehension. Standard pathology reports, for instance, are typically written by pathologists for healthcare specialists rather than patients. To address this issue, Dr. Cathryn Lapedis and her team from the Department of Pathology at the University of Michigan Health conducted a study to evaluate patient understanding of standard pathology reports versus patient-centered reports.
The research, published in JAMA, involved 2,238 adults aged 55 to 84 with no history of prostate cancer. Participants were presented with a hypothetical scenario involving a biopsy and the receipt of test results through their patient portal. They were shown three types of reports: a standard University report, a standard VA report, and a patient-centered pathology report.
Results indicated that participants struggled to interpret basic information, such as identifying a prostate cancer diagnosis, from standard reports. Only 39% accurately identified cancer in the standard University report, whereas 93% correctly identified it in the patient-centered report. Additionally, worry levels were more closely aligned with risk levels in the patient-centered reports.
Dr. Lapedis recommends hospitals consider incorporating patient-centered pathology reports alongside standard reports to enhance patient understanding. Future studies at U-M will further explore the efficacy of patient-centered reports. In the meantime, patients are encouraged to discuss their test results with clinicians to better comprehend the information presented.
For more information, the study by Dr. Lapedis and her team can be found in JAMA under the title “Knowledge and Worry Following Review of Standard vs Patient-Centered Pathology Reports.” The University of Michigan provided this insightful research, emphasizing the importance of clear medical reports to alleviate patient worry.
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