Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Mar 14, 2020
Date Accepted: Nov 11, 2020
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Patients’ Challenges and Needs in Comprehending Lab Test Results: A Mixed-Methods Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Patients are increasingly able to access their laboratory test results via patient portals. However, merely providing access does not guarantee comprehension. Patients could experience confusion or even anxiety when reviewing their test results.
Objective:
Our objective was to examine the challenges and needs that patients have when comprehending laboratory test results.
Methods:
We conducted an online survey with 203 participants and a set of semi-structured interviews with13 participants. We assessed 1) patients’ perceived challenges and needs (both informational and technological needs) when they attempt to comprehend test results; 2) what factors are associated with patients’ perceptions; and 3) strategies for improving the design of patient portals to communicate lab test results more effectively. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze the survey and interview data, respectively.
Results:
We found sociodemographic factors and lab result normality have significant impacts on people’s perceptions of using portals to view and interpret lab results. Patients need a variety of information to comprehend lab results, which are grouped into two categories – generic information (e.g., medical terminology, reference range, and diagnostic abilities of a specific test), and personalized or contextual information (e.g., the meaning of lab value in relation to their health, what to do next, and what to ask their doctor in clinic visit). The desired enhancements of patient portals include providing easy-to-understand data visualization and terminologies, explaining the result in the context of the patient’s health, supplementing educational services, increasing usability and accessibility, as well as incorporating artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology.
Conclusions:
Patients face significant challenges in interpreting the meaning of lab test results. Designers and developers of patient portals should consider employing user-centered approaches to improve the design of patient portals to present information in a more meaningful way.
Citation
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