title: Implications of Direct Patient Online Access to Radiology Reports Through Patient Web Portals.
abstract: In an era of increasing health information transparency and informed decision making, more patients are being provided with direct online access to their medical records, including radiology reports, via web-based portals. Although radiologists' narrative reports have previously been the purview of referring physicians, patients are now reading these on their own. Many potential benefits may result from patients reviewing their radiology reports, including improvements in patients' own understanding of their health, promotion of shared decision making and patient-physician communication, and, ultimately, improvements in patient outcomes. However, there may also be negative consequences, including confusion and anxiety among patients and longer patient-physician interactions. The rapid adoption of this new technology has led to major questions regarding ethics and professionalism for radiologists, including the following: Who is the intended audience of radiology reports? How should content be presented or worded? How will open access influence radiologists' relationships with patients and referring physicians? What legal ramifications may arise from increased patient access? The authors describe the current practices and research findings associated with patient online access to medical records, including radiology reports, and discuss several implications of this growing trend for the radiology profession.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington; Department of Health Services, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, Washington. Electronic address: stophlee@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Christoph I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
authors.forename: Curtis P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Langlotz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Joann G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Elmore
mesh_terms: D016494:Computer Security / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D034742:Electronic Mail; D020407:Internet / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009862:Online Systems; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D000072638:Patient Portals / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D000072177:Radiologists / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011873:Radiology Information Systems / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: Radiology reports; electronic medical records; patient web portal; patient-centered radiology