Patient-centred test result communication in the era of 'high-tech, low-touch' - Making the best use of web portals
The tenth in our series of webinars focusing on innovation and impact in primary care research. This was a special guest speaker hybrid event run jointly with University of Manchester.
Date: 7 July 2025, 1-2pm, via Zoom.
Contributors:
- Guest speaker: Dr Andrea Bradford, clinical health psychologist and Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
- Chair: Dr Jessica Watson, GP and NIHR Clinical Lecturer in General Practice, Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, UK.
Watch the recording:
Description
Health systems have increasingly embraced patient communication through web-based portals - for example, in the UK, through the NHS app. In this presentation, Dr Bradford will review data that can inform the optimal use of web-based portals for patient-centred communication of test results.
Background
Implementation of portals has been accompanied by a trend toward greater transparency in sharing health information, including the results of laboratory, imaging, and other tests. In the USA, policy changes have made it commonplace for patients to receive test results through a portal, even before reviewing them with a clinician.
Patient advocates have applauded increased access to medical record data, whereas clinicians' attitudes have been more wary. Experts have proposed both potential harms and benefits of open communication practices. However, available data suggest a need to consider patients' preferences and capabilities when designing portals and policies governing their use.
Speaker biography
Dr. Andrea Bradford is a clinical health psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
In her clinical practice at Baylor Medicine, she provides psychological assessment and treatment services for patients with serious and chronic medical conditions.
Her research, funded by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, focuses on developing and evaluating tools to help clinicians and health care organisations improve the quality and safety of the diagnostic process. In addition to her faculty role, Dr. Bradford is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings.