title: Does the early feedback of results improve reassurance following diagnostic testing? A randomized controlled trial in patients undergoing cardiac investigation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Providing reassurance is often a critical component of the medical consultation. An important area that has not been addressed in the literature is how delay in providing the results of medical tests affects patient reassurance. In this study we investigated whether the early provision of a normal diagnostic result immediately following medical testing improves patient reassurance compared to results provided 4 weeks later.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a longitudinal randomized controlled trial and 1-month follow-up. Fifty-one cardiology outpatients with no known cardiac pathology referred for an echocardiogram test were randomized following normal test results to receive their test results from a cardiologist either immediately following testing or 4 weeks later. Measures of symptoms, anxiety, and health perceptions were taken prior to diagnostic testing. Reassurance was assessed immediately after the results were provided and 1 month later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data analysis showed that the provision of early results had no impact on patient reassurance. Cardiac anxiety was strongly associated with lower reassurance; patients who were more anxious about their heart were significantly less reassured by a normal test result, both immediately following feedback and 1 month later.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The early provision of test results had no impact on patient reassurance. The study suggests the identification and targeting of patients high in cardiac anxiety may be a better method for improving reassurance than reducing the waiting time for results following medical testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patience
authors.affiliation: Waitemata District Health Board.
authors.forename: Nezar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amir
authors.affiliation: Auckland City Hospital.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine.
authors.forename: Anna T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3073-3718
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Faasse
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gamble
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine.
authors.forename: Keith J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6337-2480
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Petrie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D000072096:Cardiologists; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000523:psychology*; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D010045:Outpatients; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires