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Patients urged to be proactive when waiting for test results
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A recent study discovered that possible abnormal test results are not always reported to patients, delaying diagnosis and treatment of time urgent diseases such as heart disease and cancer and hurting the patient’s chances of survival. The study, conducted by Lawrence P. Casalino, MD, PhD of Weill Cornell Medical College of New York and published in the June 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, is said to reveal a host of problems with our healthcare system including poor focus on preventive care which could save billions of dollars in treatment costs each year and an uneven distribution in the quality of care on a practice-to-practice basis, causing a potential rise in medical malpractice suits. Out of the 5,000 patient records analyzed from 23 different physician practices within the U.S, some practices were found to inform patients of test results 100 percent of the time while others failed to report important test results 26 percent of the time. Although the study had its limitations, patients are nonetheless urged to use precaution, to follow-up on the results of all their exams, and to avoid assuming that not receiving results is indicative of good results.
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