Myth: Doctors will be flooded with calls if patients have access to their lab results online.
Fact: Patients who have access to their lab results online are less likely to call their physicians while waiting for results and they’re less likely to have an in-person visit related to their results. Additionally, patients who have access to their health information through a patient portal are less likely to call or make requests for information, with one Ontario study finding a 61% decrease in requests for information when a patient portal became available.
Source: Impacts of direct patient access to laboratory results – Final Report, August 2015, SRDC. Ontario Shores’ HealthCheck Patient Portal Benefits Evaluation Report, 2016. See also: Group Health Centre’s myCARE Benefits Evaluation Plan, 2016.
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