Description

Patients can now view most pathology results as soon as they are uploaded to My Health Record. But pathology reports have traditionally been written for clinicians, not patients. So how should pathology reporting evolve, and what does a truly patient-friendly report look like?

In this episode of The Pathology Report, host Dr Ben Dessauvagie is joined by Julie Sherfan, clinical scientist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Dr Kay Weng Choy, chemical pathologist and Pamela Robson from Pathology Tests Explained to answer these questions and explorethe benefits and challenges of patient-friendly pathology reporting.

Using examples to illustrate real-world impact, the panel explores:

• The importance of prioritising easy-to-understand language to help patients understand results.
• The need to ensure the report includes enough commentary to adequately explain the clinical impact of results.
• The challenges associated with complex anatomical pathology reports, and what changes may be necessary to improve clarity and reduce confusion.

As the changes to My Health Record become the new norm, the panel share their insights on what the future of patient-friendly reporting might look like:

• Reports meet the needs of both the patient and the clinician, with consideration given to graphical and visual options to communicate results.
• Pathologists can empower patients with accessible information, ensuring they have some level of understanding of their results going into their consultation.
• The pathology profession is working with rather than competing with AI to ensure patients can access accurate and authoritative information about their health.

Episode links:

• Pathology Tests Explained
• Pathology Terminology and Information Standardisation (PTIS) Project
• AI Tool Pathology Information Assistant by Pathology Tests Explained

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The Pathology Report is produced by the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia and is part of the Talking HealthTech Podcast Network.

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