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Majority of patients prefer online portals for skin biopsy results

Patients chose online portals as their preferred method of receiving skin biopsy results, according to study results published in JAMA Dermatology.

A survey of 204 patients was conducted between January 2016 and June 2016. The cohort was made up of 56.37% male patients and 43.63% female patients, most of whom had a college degree or higher level of education.

Notification via an online portal was the preference of 59.4% of patients. Phone calls were preferred by 48.95%. Notification via online portal was preferred by 52.05% of patients who had previous experience with that method, whereas 61.11% of patients who had no previous online portal experience preferred phone calls. A correlation was found between age and online portal experience (P = .05).

Preference changed, however, depending on whether biopsy results were normal or abnormal (P < .001). If results were normal, 55.2% of patients would prefer the use of an online portal, while 69.2% would prefer a phone call for abnormal results.

When asked what determined their preference for receiving abnormal results, 44.78% of patients were concerned about the depth of information received and 35.82% were concerned with the amount of time to discuss results.

History of skin biopsies or skin cancers did not affect whether patients preferred a quicker method to receive skin biopsy results, but patients with online portal experience had a statistically significant preference for a quicker method. – by Talitha Bennett

Disclosure : The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.