Increasingly patients are being offered the opportunity to access medical test results electronically, through online access and other methods such as text messaging.  This has the potential to offer benefits to both patients and practices but could result in unintended negative consequences. The evidence on both sides is currently limited.  

The Access Study aims to find out what types of electronic access to medical test result records are currently being used in general practices in England and how patient and staff experience these systems. It will draw together the costs and benefits linked to electronic test result access.

The study will use a mixed methods approach, including sending out a questionnaire survey to a sample of practices across England to identify what electronic medical test services are currently being offered to patients and by what types of practices.

Anonymised patient records from a sample of practices will be analysed to find out if patients who access their medical test results electronically differ from those patients who do not with respect to age, gender, social deprivation, and health conditions. Interviews will be conducted with patients and practice staff about their experiences and views of using (or not) the electronic test services offered by their general practice, and what helps and hinders using them.

The results will help develop a framework for an economic evaluation in the future, and guide policy makers and practices looking to roll out electronic access of results to patients on how to do this in the best way possible.

Dr Gemma Lasseter, from the Centre of Academic Primary Care and NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Evaluation of Interventions at the University of Bristol, who is leading the study, said: “With over 300 million patient consultations in general practices annually, introducing digital tools to provide patients with their medical test results electronically has the potential to support self-management and deliver cost-effective improvements. Although policy makers see such tools as an opportunity to digitally transform the NHS, there is currently a lack of robust evidence about the pros and cons of the different electronic medical test result services currently being offered by general practices in England.

“It is important that future policy and commissioning decisions about test results services are informed by evidence, so that the most appropriate services are adopted by general practices. Our research plans to evaluate the services already being offered in a range of practices to help inform future procurement decisions.”

If you or your practice has experience of offering electronic test results services and would like to know more about the study, please contact Gemma Lasseter for more information.