New Approach Enhances Timely, Reliable Communication of Patient Test Results

Healthcare providers can improve patient safety by ensuring that patients receive test results in a fail-safe manner, based on research findings highlighted in The Joint Commission Blog by AHRQ grantee Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H., and safety advocate Sue Sheridan, M.I.M., M.B.A. The research, partially funded by AHRQ, found that up to 62 percent of laboratory results and up to 36 percent of radiology results are not communicated appropriately, potentially resulting in patient harm from delays in further testing and treatment. This communication breakdown is caused by factors such as workflow issues and confusion over who should follow up with patients, the authors said. They suggest that a “closed loop communications” approach—in which every test result is sent, received and acted upon—can reduce diagnostic errors by making sure that clinicians and healthcare organizations get the correct test information to the right individual, including the patient. Access the blog.