title: European views on patients directly obtaining their laboratory test results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medicine is a highly professionalized endeavour, by tradition centred on the authority of physicians. Better education and the advent of the information age cater for increased demands on society in general and on health care in particular to enable people to make informed decisions regarding themselves. Participation in medical decisions requires informed knowledge which is hard to obtain without substantial and time consuming professional help.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a survey amongst the member organizations of European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) in order to investigate the recognition and preparedness of providing help to patients in interpreting their laboratory results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 40 EFLM Member Societies, 27 sent their responses to the survey. In most cases the first line delivery of laboratory results to physicians is by computer link (63%). Patients receive their laboratory results on demand from their physician in 60% of cases. However, 34% of laboratory specialists showed a negative attitude for delivering laboratory results to patients. Yet, in 48% of countries 1-5 patients per day ask a laboratory specialist about the significance of laboratory results outside the reference range. When patients are informed about the purpose of laboratory testing, they seek information primarily from their physician, followed by the internet and the Specialist in Laboratory Medicine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changing practices increasingly enabling patient access to their records are on the increase facilitated by recent innovations in information technologies. Successful transfer of some of the responsibilities of physicians, demands a mutual triangular dialogue between the patient, their physician and laboratory medicine.
authors.forename: Ian D
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2294-3715
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Siodmiak
authors.forename: Wytze P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Oosterhuis
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corberand
authors.forename: Per E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Jorgensen
authors.forename: Zeliha Gunnur
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Dikmen
authors.forename: Snezana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jovicic
authors.forename: Elvar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Theodorsson
mesh_terms: D002984:Clinical Laboratory Information Systems; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D008490:Medical Informatics; D033283:Patient Access to Records; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires