Full Radiology Report through Patient Web Portal: A Literature Review

Abstract

The aim of this study discusses the gap between the patient web portal and providing a full radiology report. A literature review was conducted to examine radiologists, physicians, and patients’ opinions and preferences of providing patients with online access radiology reports. The databases searched were Pubmed and Google Scholar and the initial search included 927 studies. After review, 47 studies were included in the study. We identified several themes, including patients’ understanding of radiology reports and radiological images, as well as the need for decreasing the turnaround time for reports availability. The existing radiology reports written for physicians are not suited for patients. Further studies are needed to guide and inform the design of patient friendly radiology reports. One of the ways that can be used to fill the gap between patients and radiology reports is using social media sites.

Understanding patient needs and gaps in radiology reports through online discussion forum analysis

“…To our knowledge, this study is the first to explore patients’ needs and gaps in radiology reports using these sources. Previous studies that have focused on patients’ opinions or challenges related to patients being able to access their full radiology report indicated that patients had an interest in having full access to these reports [ 4 , 18 ]. A study showed that 51% of patients had a strong desire to obtain their radiology reports without obstacles or challenges [ 8 ].…”

“…In the field of radiology, radiologists and the doctors radiologists refer patients to complain about the lack of time to write reports as well as the time they must use to explain procedures to patients [ 17 ]. Giving patients access to their radiology reports provides them with the opportunity to understand the reports prior to meeting with the doctor [ 4 , 18 ]. Patients access to clear and full radiology reports enables them to share it with other specialists to obtain further explanations, second opinion, or continuous treatments [ 19 , 20 ].…”

“…To achieve this objective, we first studied the obstacles involved with submitting the current version of the radiology report to the patient. The results of this study were published in May 2020 [ 18 ]. Our current aim is to identify patient desires and priorities for their radiology report by exploring patient questions in online discussion forums (Fig.…”

The role of radiologist in the changing world of healthcare: a White Paper of the European Society of Radiology (ESR)

“…As radiologists, we adapt to patient expectations of being able to engage directly with us to discuss their procedures and findings; the era of radiologists being “the doctors’ doctor”, remote from direct patient contact, is consigned to the past. Our work practices are adapted to increasing direct patient engagement, whether face to face or through our digital reports, which may be enhanced by tools to improve lay communication via patient portals [ 24 , 25 ]; meeting this growing expectation will enhance the lives of both patients and radiologists, and add significant value to the services we deliver [ 8 – 10 , 15 , 18 ].…”

Proposed Questions to Assess the Extent of Knowledge in Understanding the Radiology Report Language

“…Patients are becoming the end-readers of the radiology reports with their referring physicians [ 1 , 2 ]. Patient access to radiology tests empowers the patient and allows the patient to be more informed and engaged in his or her healthcare [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The benefits of patient portals that allow patients to access their medical information, including radiology tests and results, have been well studied [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”