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 People said their preferred method of finding out their skin biopsy
results largely relies on the amount of information the clinician
needs to relay and the amount of time it takes to receive the
results, researchers report in JAMA Dermatology.
"We want to make sure we’re addressing the needs of the patients as
best we can," said senior author Dr. Charles Mitchell, of The George
Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in
Washington, D.C. "Everyone is a bit different."
Mitchell told Reuters Health that past research looked at how
patients would like to receive skin biopsy results, but it largely
included people who previously had the deadliest form of skin cancer
known as melanoma. Therefore, their preferences may not apply to
most people receiving benign results or other abnormal results.
For the new study, Mitchell and his colleagues asked 240 patients
over age 18 years attending the dermatology clinic of George
Washington University Medical Faculty Associates between January and
June for a total body skin examination to complete a survey. Of
those, 204 patients participated.
The survey asked about the patient's basic demographic and medical
information. The participants were also asked about previous skin
biopsies and their preferences for learning the results.
Overall, participants said their top preference for learning their
biopsy result was through an online portal, followed by a telephone
call.
"People who used an online portal before were much more likely to
prefer use of a portal in the future," said Mitchell.
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A majority of participants said their preference would change based
on the results, however.
About 55 percent said they'd want to access their skin biopsy result
through an online portal if it was benign. If the results were
abnormal, about 69 percent would prefer to find out about it by
telephone.
The study results are limited, though. They may not translate to
other areas of the U.S. since the study only included a small number
of educated people from a metropolitan area. Also, they didn't
collect information on the participants' races or ethnicities.
Mitchell said he usually asks his patients how they'd like to
receive their biopsy results.
"For patients who are signed up for the portal, I ask them if they
would prefer a phone call or a message on the portal," he said.
People diagnosed with melanoma are not notified through the portal,
however.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2h3GTTl JAMA Dermatology, online December 7,
2016.
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