Concerns Rise Among Patients After Viewing Confusing Medical Test Outcomes
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New York, Jan 5 (NationPress) Medical reports from around the globe often do not cater to the needs of patients, resulting in heightened anxiety as they find test outcomes difficult to interpret, according to research findings.
For instance, a typical pathology report is crafted by a pathologist primarily for clinical experts such as surgeons or oncologists, or for other pathologists' review, explained Cathryn Lapedis from the Department of Pathology at the University of Michigan Health in the US.
In a study published in the journal JAMA, Lapedis and her team evaluated whether individuals could comprehend standard pathology reports and whether a patient-oriented report could enhance their understanding.
A patient-oriented pathology report presents crucial information regarding the patient's diagnosis in a straightforward format that reduces medical jargon, she noted.
For instance, while a standard pathology report may use a term like prostatic adenocarcinoma, the patient-oriented version would refer to it simply as prostate cancer.
The research team enlisted 2,238 adults aged 55 to 84, all of whom had a prostate but no history of prostate cancer. Participants were given a hypothetical situation where they were seeking treatment for concerning urinary symptoms, underwent a biopsy, and later received test results through their patient portal.
They were also asked to indicate their level of anxiety based on the results they received.
“Our findings indicate that most individuals struggle to extract essential information—such as whether they have prostate cancer—from standard pathology reports. For instance, only 39 percent of participants who reviewed the standard University report could accurately determine that the report indicated cancer,” stated Lapedis.
Conversely, 93 percent of those who received the patient-oriented pathology report correctly identified that the report indicated prostate cancer.
Participants' anxiety levels were found to be more closely linked to their assessed risk level.
The authors of the study advocate for hospital systems to consider integrating patient-oriented pathology reports alongside standard reports to enhance patient comprehension.
