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We've taken a good look at the best ways to communicate with our doctors. But sometimes we have to light fires under them to make that communication work.
Like when we get medical tests. Any kind of test. Maybe it's a simple blood or urine test. Maybe it's a CT scan, a mammogram or a colonoscopy. We believe they'll get back to us with results. Maybe we pay attention or, if it's just routine, maybe we don't.
In all cases, we assume they'll let us know if there's a problem, don't we? But that assumption can be deadly.
In 2009, results of a study were reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine that said that, of the people studied, 7 percent of patients who were given one of 14 standard medical tests as ordered by their primary care doctors, and for whom those results were abnormal (meaning -- a problem!), they never got notification of that problem. No one ever called them with their problematic test results. And what happened to those patients? In fact, many got sicker. Some died.
With no notification, of course, no follow up takes place. In fact, in many lawsuits brought by patients whose doctors missed their diagnoses, that's exactly the question. Why did no one ever notify those patients about their abnormal test results?
You may think this sounds unusual and won't or doesn't happen to you. After all, you always get a call, or paperwork arrives in the mail telling you what you need to know. Right?
Maybe not. It's actually not an unusual situation. Doctor’s offices, often overwhelmed by patient loads or personnel shortages, have defaulted to this "don’t call us, we’ll call you" approach to providing patients with test results. My former primary hung up signs in all her exam rooms informing patients they would no longer call or mail results unless there was a problem.
I changed doctors.
Smart patients know we must get all test results, good or bad. If necessary, we want an opportunity to ask follow up questions. To do so, we need to control the flow of information ourselves.
When your doctor orders a test, ask when the results will be available and how they will be communicated to you. Ask for specifics, such as "we will call you by Thursday" or "we will mail them within 10 days." The idea is to get a commitment to a plan of action for communicating what you need to know.
Then make sure they follow through. If you don’t hear back by the promised date, then call the doctor’s office and ask for the results. If they don’t have them, ask them to tell you when they will be available. Stick with it until the results are provided to you. And certainly, once you know the results, if you have follow up questions, ask who you can talk to, and when, to get the answers you seek.
Finally, ask that a copy of the test results be mailed to you. You’ll want to keep it as part of your medical history. Regardless of the outcome, the results may help future medical decision-making.
Good doctors want you to have your results and answer your questions. But even good doctors and their staffs can drop the ball on occasion.
Don't let them drop your testing ball. Make it happen for yourself, if necessary.
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