Patients overwhelmingly want early access to results from their imaging exams and other tests, according to new survey data published Monday in JAMA Network Open [1].

Debates on this topic have raged in radiology for years, with some concerned that sending findings too quickly could result in unnecessary patient anxiety and misunderstandings. However, a survey of more than 8,100 patients across four academic medical centers found that patients disagree.

Nearly 96% of those surveyed said they’d prefer to view findings immediately, regardless of whether their doctor had offered clinical counsel or interpreted them.

“Respondents overwhelmingly preferred to receive test results through the patient portal, even if it meant viewing results prior to discussing them with a healthcare professional,” study co-author Liz Salmi, communications and patient initiatives director of OpenNotes at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said in a statement. “As healthcare systems continue to navigate this new era of health information transparency, balancing patients’ expectation of immediate access to their information with the need to manage increased worry is important.” 

Researchers administered the survey in May 2022, targeting adult patients and their care partners who accessed test results between 2021-2022. More than 43,000 individuals received the survey, treated across four institutions in California, Colorado, Texas and Tennessee. Salmi et al. reached a total of 8,139 respondents (a 19% response rate), who skewed more female (63%) and English-speaking (94.5%), with a median age of 64. Most in the study received blood tests (75%), while about 48.5% underwent biopsies or imaging. About 80% reported having reviewed results in the patient portal during the previous month, and 57% of them had normal findings.

Few of those surveyed said that their levels of worry increased when reviewing results before a healthcare practitioner contacted them (7.5%). Among respondents with abnormal imaging results, 17.5% reported more worry or much more worry when compared with those who had normal imaging findings (6%). The results suggest an association between worry and nonnormal results, signifying an opportunity for providers to tailor their communication strategy.

“As healthcare systems continue to navigate this new era of health information transparency, balancing patients’ expectation of immediate access to their information with the need to manage increased worry and health care practitioner burden is increasingly important,” the study’s authors concluded.

It was back in April 2021 that the 21st Century Cures Act began requiring the immediate electronic availability of most test results upon their request. Another previous survey from July 2022 found that most patients want access to their medical imaging records, but the majority are not getting it.