Hidden in Plain Sight: Overlooked Results and Other Errors in Evaluating Online Laboratory Results

Monkman, Helen; MacDonald, Leah; Nøhr, Christian; Tanaka, James W.; Lesselroth, Blake J.

doi:10.3233/shti220203

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Some demographic details include that P16 was between 65-74 years old, primarily spoke English at home, and had one or more chronic illnesses [2][3][4]. Result from the first question about where online lab results were accessed, revealed that P16 primarily accessed her results at home.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contextualizing Online Laboratory (lab) Results and Mapping the Patient Journey

Joseph

Monkman

MacDonald

et al. 2022

Studies in Health Technology and Informatics

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The 21st century has brought forth unprecedented technological advances, such as the advent of portable digital devices [1]. This trend has also permeated the health care sector, with the introduction of digital health services, like providing citizens with access to their online laboratory (lab) results. This qualitative study will illustrate the patient journey, namely participant 16 (P16), to address the research question: what phases does a person go through when accessing their lab results online? The findings revealed that lab results were accessed from two types of devices a tablet (e.g., portable computer) when at home and a mobile phone when away from home. We also found that interpretation of results can be a challenge and it was unclear if P16 was able to understand her lab results. To illustrate the complexity of interpreting and accessing online lab results, the authors created a Customer Journey Map to contextualize the experiences of P16. The journey map depicts a combination of factors such as: eHealth literacy, limited access to providers, difficulty interpreting lab test results. Additionally, recommendations for online lab portal functionality enhancements were discovered through the mapping exercise. This study demonstrated that along with providing citizens with access to digital health technologies and services, considerations to eHealth literacy, the digital divide and health equity are paramount. As evidenced by the visualization, journey maps hold promise to serve as efficient tools to build empathy and identify the unique needs and perspectives of citizens.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This qualitative study was approved by the University of Victoria's Human Research Ethics Board and is part of an exploratory series of studies investigating patterns and trends of Canadians who access their lab results online [2][3][4]. Specifically, this study focused on the lived experiences of P16 in accessing her lab results online.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualizing Online Laboratory (lab) Results and Mapping the Patient Journey

Joseph

Monkman

MacDonald

et al. 2022

Studies in Health Technology and Informatics

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…For example, participants were asked how well they understood the information, but we did not use a specific example and measure their understanding. Related work has shown that even experienced users of laboratory results portals can easily overlook abnormal values [ 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is critical to ensure outputs are clear and safe to use. Otherwise, consumers may overlook important findings [27] or turn to the internet-and other less scrupulous sources-for help interpreting laboratory results [11,[28][29][30][31].…”

Section: Principal Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumers’ Needs for Laboratory Results Portals: Questionnaire Study

Monkman¹,

Griffith²,

MacDonald³

et al. 2023

JMIR Hum Factors

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Background Over the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of health care consumers (ie, patients, citizens, and laypeople) with access to their laboratory results through portals. However, many portals are not designed with the consumer in mind, which can limit communication effectiveness and consumer empowerment. Objective We aimed to study design facilitators and barriers affecting consumer use of a laboratory results portal. We sought to identify modifiable design attributes to inform future interface specifications and improve patient safety. Methods A web-based questionnaire with open- and closed-ended items was distributed to consumers in British Columbia, Canada. Open-ended items with affinity diagramming and closed-ended questions with descriptive statistics were analyzed. Results Participants (N=30) preferred reviewing their laboratory results through portals rather than waiting to see their provider. However, respondents were critical of the interface design (ie, interface usability, information completeness, and display clarity). Scores suggest there are display issues impacting communication that require urgent attention. Conclusions There are modifiable usability, content, and display issues associated with laboratory results portals that, if addressed, could arguably improve communication effectiveness, patient empowerment, and health care safety.

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“…This study is a compliment to a broader investigative research series examining participants' experiences with online lab results as well as their ability to use and understand different display formats [11][12][13][14]. The University of Victoria's Human Research Ethics Board approved this study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpreting Laboratory Results with Complementary Health Information: A Human Factors Perspective

Joseph,

Monkman,

MacDonald

et al. 2024

Studies in Health Technology and Informatics

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The desire to access personal and high-quality health information electronically is increasing, not only in Canada, but globally. With the advent of the COVID - 19 pandemic the desire and demand for telemedicine and timely access to personal health data such as online laboratory (lab) results has increased substantially. This study examines citizens’ perspectives of being provided with high-quality information about a specific lab test (i.e., potassium) in the same display as a trend graph. Therefore, the objective of this study is to test how participants managed this additional information about the context of the test, understood, and applied it. The researchers analyzed the responses of semi-structured interviews with Canadian participants (N=24) using conventional content analysis. This paper examined four themes related to providing complementary information concurrently with lab results in the same display: 1) Benefits of Collocated Information, 2) Information Overload, 3) Misinterpretation, 4) Confusion. This study provided examples of some of the difficulties that the participants faced accessing their lab values online, while navigating and discerning complimentary high-quality health information available in their patient portal.

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Hidden in Plain Sight: Overlooked Results and Other Errors in Evaluating Online Laboratory Results

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Contextualizing Online Laboratory (lab) Results and Mapping the Patient Journey

Contextualizing Online Laboratory (lab) Results and Mapping the Patient Journey

Consumers’ Needs for Laboratory Results Portals: Questionnaire Study

Interpreting Laboratory Results with Complementary Health Information: A Human Factors Perspective

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