Patients interpreting their own portal results

[u/Princessgargoyle]

Attending physician new to practicing in a more affluent area. How are you all dealing with patients asking for explanations for each out-of-range lab result that popped up in their patient portal?

I’m finding this aspect of my new site to be very frustrating and time consuming to have to convince the patient why the google interpretation of their isolated eosinophilia or glucose of 100 does not align with my “Great news! Everything looks good!”

[u/tfj92]

You guys should check out the hematology reddit its out of control with that crap

https://www.reddit.com/r/haematology/s/RZqLDPvmNh

[u/Mohrisbetr → u/tfj92]

Holy shit how would anyone stay subscribed to that

[u/mayaorsomething → u/Mohrisbetr]

Took one peek at the subreddit and already found this gem of someone “needing help interpreting their CBC” because their appointment isn’t until next week.

The real sparkle comes from this exchange in the comments:

OP:

I will need to wait for the results of additional bloodwork and inform my GP in a week. I truly hope it's nothing serious such as the "C" word. I have been worrying constantly and felt quite unwell ovee the past 2 months.

MD:

The c word here is "cold". This looks like you have a cold.

ETA: And I mean no offense to that person; I feel like the big red numbers with upward arrows just simply should not be a thing for a patient’s MyChart view.

[u/MrPBH → u/mayaorsomething]

I have been saying that since the law came out: give the patients access to their lab results but take out all the red bolding, up and down arrows. Make a hyperlink at the bottom to reference values (so they have to navigate between two screens to compare numbers, but still have access to all relevant data).

The law says we have to give them access to the records. It doesn't say it has to contain any interpretation of the data.

[u/mayaorsomething → u/MrPBH]

Yeah it just seems like a laziness to correct the system, to be honest. It's so often a misleading interpretation of the data (in terms of what patients gather from it); not just a neutral addition... so it would seem like an obvious thing to fix. Maybe not enough people have complained about it.

[u/tfj92 → u/Mohrisbetr]

I cant believe they interpret everything on there too lol

[u/sum_dude44 → u/tfj92]

wrong is the best part

[u/heart_block → u/tfj92]

Well, that's my personal hell

[u/Princessgargoyle → u/heart_block]

Same

[u/Princessgargoyle → u/tfj92]

This is where I should send them. Maybe make a QR code for the link to a community that will answer all of their hematological questions

[u/tfj92 → u/Princessgargoyle]

We just need to find one where they do chemistry interpretation and we'll be set

[u/metforminforevery1 → u/tfj92]

WHY IS MY CHLORIDE LOW??!

[u/MarginalLlama → u/tfj92]

Ok, but solve my r/ekgs

[u/mootmahsn → u/MarginalLlama]

I'm making one that's similar but only apple watch tracings. You'll be the mod responsible for flairing each post as MI or NOT MI. I'll buy some advertising for the sub on some sicktok channels.

[u/MarginalLlama → u/mootmahsn]

Hell yeah!! Can we get private equity in on this too?

[u/mootmahsn → u/MarginalLlama]

Do that and it'll be all NPs with one year of med surg experience and one MP who was hired after a typo on the AI prompt screening resumes.

[u/MarginalLlama → u/mootmahsn]

I'm feeling healthier already. Now, how do I give all of my money to the rich?

[u/mootmahsn → u/MarginalLlama]

Great news: You already are!

[u/MarginalLlama → u/mootmahsn]

Well, since that's accomplished, I no longer have any purpose in life...

[u/mootmahsn → u/MarginalLlama]

Not true at all! You still need to die suddenly before you develop any chronic conditions so you can maximize your utility to your insurer, preferably in a manner that precludes any form of resuscitation. Have you considered skydiving as a hobby? Free solo climbing? This is totally getting nailed by the reddit abuse and harassment filter, btw.

[u/MarginalLlama → u/mootmahsn]

Too late. I’ve already got chronic depression, anxiety, adhd, ptsd, and more. I'm sure that they've loved paying for the years of therapy and medications 😂

Also, getting nailed sounds wonderful!! I kinda got distracted and didn't read the rest of your comment, but I'm sure you kept it pg enough.

[u/heyinternetman → u/tfj92]

If the heme one is this bad, I can only imagine the rheumatology one. Sooooi much trendy bendy

[u/Ixistant → u/tfj92]

I just saw someone asking about their high RCDW.

I'm not even convinced they taught us about RCDW at med school!

[u/karakth → u/tfj92]

Post night shift disinhibition has me literally full on belly laughing at these posts. Thank you kind stranger

[u/D15c0untMD → u/tfj92]

Holy hell, that’s why the ortho subreddit kicks personal health questions

[u/Resussy-Bussy → u/tfj92]

That page just ruined my life thank you.

[u/yurbanastripe → u/tfj92]

Patients shouldn’t be allowed to see all these labs with no context. It instigates sooooo much unnecessary health anxiety

[u/nursingintheshadows → u/yurbanastripe]

I wish the results were posted like 24 hours later or released after discharge. That way, the PCM can answer. Who am I kidding, they’ll check in the next day for abnormal lab results while live on a social platform saying we’re killing them and dismissing their symptoms because of hair color and pajama pants.

[u/sum_dude44 → u/yurbanastripe]

Images are 10x worse (5mm hyperdensity in liver...

[u/the_silent_redditor → u/yurbanastripe]

There’s some fucking dipshit new rad company that gives patients access to images and reports.

I’ve seen several people bring themselves to ED with bullshit like a renal cyst or anatomical variants found incidentally on their report.

Recently, had some guy put his unreported images through some sort of AI and rocks up to ED because he thought he had cancer.

The unverified report was a normal scan.

Who the fuck thinks this is a good idea!?

[u/sum_dude44 → u/tfj92]

someone needs to make a bot that says ask your Dr...(these are hilarious...nl cbc w/ mildly low MCV...you NEED IRON!)

[u/GreatMalbenego → u/tfj92]

Holy shit what a wasteland