Patients Often Not Told About Abnormal Test Results

like we needed any more health care issues to worry about :shrug:


Study finds communication breakdowns at least 7 percent of the time
Posted June 22, 2009
By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) -- People who visit their primary care physician for routine blood tests or screenings are often not informed of the results, a new study finds. The failure of doctors and medical facilities to follow-up and give people test results is "relatively common," the researchers wrote, even when the results are abnormal and potentially troublesome, and affects one of every 14 tests.

"If you're a patient, it's often assumed that no news is good news," acknowledged Dr. Lawrence P. Casalino, an associate professor and chief of the division of outcomes and effectiveness research in the public health department at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and the study's lead author. "But the bottom line is that is not always the case, and patients should not passively go along with that." Casalino and his colleagues report their findings in the June 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers reviewed the medical records of 5,434 people aged 50 to 69 years old. They focused on those who, in the previous year, had abnormal results on one of 11 blood tests or one of three screening tests at primary care facilities in the Midwest and on the West Coast. They also combed through responses to 176 surveys completed by physicians designed to assess test result management procedures at each facility.

The study found that in 135 cases -- of 1,889 abnormal test results -- either the person was not informed of the test results or the facility had not documented having communicated with the patient about the results. The upshot: more than a 7 percent failure rate in communicating abnormal test results.


http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/06/22/patients-often-not-told-about-abnormal-test-results.html

Sometimes the 'test' is just something to bill for.

Yeah, you bet!

...she always tells us that if we have a test and we don't hear from her to call - no news does not mean good news - she wants to communicate EVERY test result.

and was assured it was normal??? why it was called abnormal??? anyway...they said to make sure I get my annual pap smear..and long story short..after I moved I did not have insurance and about 1.5 years latter I had cancer...luckily...I do not know what has happened to this option...I was able to allow myself to be treated using the local students, at no cost to me..I ended up with a vaginal hysterectomy and it was caught in time as it was 'insitu' which means contained in its origin in Latin.

Patients need to have a more specific course of action when there is a possibility that something serious is wrong.

they were the health gods to me...in fact I had gall stones for most of my adult life from age 17 till it was finally taken out a couple of years ago...NO LIE the size of a ping pong ball...my Dr wrote it up as the largest gall stone/gall bladder ever removed via that scope thingy...and I was NOT cut open...thank gawd! BTW...it was AFTER I had no insurance they finally found out what was wrong..I have had upper GI', lower GI's and a scope of my stomach and then I learn...a simple ultrasound would have detected the gall stone...:grr:

Dr.'s are so overworked and afraid they will get sued they make mistakes all the time.

Hope there will be quality health care for everyone ASAP.

She had visited her doctor multiple times for a recurring cough that had been plaguing her for months. In May he ordered an x-ray. She had the x-rays, but never heard back from him or his office.

Come to find out, the cancer showed up on those x-rays - but nobody in our family realized it until she was in the late stages. It was already Stage 4 when it was finally diagnosed, FIVE MONTHS after the first order for x-rays.

Her health insurance? HMO.

that's awful :hug:

responsible family member to step up to the plate and make a phone call. Several phone calls, if that's what it takes. At the end of the day, we are each and every one of us responsible for ourselves and our own health care. If she had an x-ray, she should have called the doctor's office after a week or so to ask about the results. If you knew she had a chest x-ray and hadn't received the results, you should have offered to make the call yourself. Sad story, but the lesson for all of us is BE RESPONSIBLE HEALTH CARE CONSUMERS. No one else can fill that role for you. If you're incapacitated, assign a family member the job of being your advocate until you are able to resume the job yourself. ALWAYS have a family member or close friend with you if you're hospitalized. They may catch things regarding your diagnosis or care that you can't, if you're sick or injured or unconscious. There are probably dozens of ways to say this, so I hope you're all getting the message. Ask questions, demand answers. YOU are your own best advocate.

You've given me some unasked for advice, now here's mine to you:

Ask questions and wait for the answers before making erroneous assumptions that may cause you to be perceived as a rude, inconsiderate, and judgmental ass.

Now, PISS OFF.

I request a copy of my lab results to take home with me. Folks, you gotta speak up for yourself. I fail to understand how anyone could just sit silently and just assume the doctors' office or doctor him/herself will tell you every single thing you need to know. Too many patients, too little time, too many cracks to fall through. Take charge of monitoring you own health care. Don't expect anyone else to do that for you.

results from veterinarians and physicians.

Don't trust your vet, either! 2 brains are better than one. And if the vet takes offense, find another vet.

they sometimes generate results that are incorrect. I had an abnormal thyroid result, and 2 follow-ups that were normal. The follow-ups were spread out over time, and I had no other symptoms that suggested any real problem, so at least one follow-up was probably wasted money (the test was cheap though).

Sometimes, a person is just slightly out of the normal range but has no other problems and there's no reason to be concerned about the test result. Or - the physician may feel the test result is likely in error, plus the result is close to normal. Since the test will be repeated in a year's time anyhow, there's no harm in waiting.

There can be harm with many patients caused by stress related to getting an abnormal test result. If a physician has a somewhat anxious patient and the physician doesn't think the test result is accurate plus no real harm will from ignoring it, why tell the patient? Especially if there's no real way to treat whatever is causing the abnormal test result, even if it is valid?

Sometimes a physician will simply reorder the test down the road as part of another panel of tests, without worrying the patient.

I can see that some very well-informed people who have good critical thinking skills and no tendency to be anxious might want to know, nonetheless. And a physician who knows you would probably realize you have those qualities & tell you the result, and why he's not concerned. Other patients simply don't have the background knowledge to understand the complexities of the issue, or tend to be too anxious. (I know people are going to get upset at this last statement, but in fact, it really is the truth. You can explain and explain, but if they didn't have basic biology & chemistry in high school- and actually pay attention - most have a limited ability to understand the relevant factors).

Of course a lot can get lost in a conversation between a health care professional and a layperson.

Funny thing is whenever I leave my veterinarian's office I have a sheet of paper handed to me that summarizes what was done during the visit, what was discussed, and follow up care needed- as well as costs. I get paper copies of test results. And I get email reminders from the vet if I haven't followed up or a test or vaccination is due. This is true at my normal vet but its also been true of the emergency care I've had for my pets in the last few years. I have a strong scientific background but it helps me enormously to have the whole thing down on paper.

their website contains everyone's medical record, including test results. confidential, of course.