Implications of Direct Patient Online Access to Radiology Reports Through Patient Web Portals

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• 作者：Christoph I. Lee ; MD ; MSHS^a ; ^b ; ^{stophlee@uw.edu} ; Curtis P. Langlotz ; MD ; PhD^c ; Joann G. Elmore ; MD ; MPH^d ; ^e
• 关键词：Radiology reports ; patient-centered radiology ; patient web portal ; electronic medical records
• 刊名：Journal of the American College of Radiology
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：December 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：13
• 期：12
• 页码：1608-1614
• 全文大小：386 K
• 卷排序：13

文摘

In an era of increasing health information transparency and informed decision making, more patients are being provided with direct online access to their medical records, including radiology reports, via web-based portals. Although radiologists’ narrative reports have previously been the purview of referring physicians, patients are now reading these on their own. Many potential benefits may result from patients reviewing their radiology reports, including improvements in patients’ own understanding of their health, promotion of shared decision making and patient-physician communication, and, ultimately, improvements in patient outcomes. However, there may also be negative consequences, including confusion and anxiety among patients and longer patient-physician interactions. The rapid adoption of this new technology has led to major questions regarding ethics and professionalism for radiologists, including the following: Who is the intended audience of radiology reports? How should content be presented or worded? How will open access influence radiologists’ relationships with patients and referring physicians? What legal ramifications may arise from increased patient access? The authors describe the current practices and research findings associated with patient online access to medical records, including radiology reports, and discuss several implications of this growing trend for the radiology profession.