How this fits in

Communication of test result is important for patient safety, patient-centred care, and clinician workload. This systematic review included 71 studies of test communication in primary care — 41 quantitative, 19 qualitative, and 11 mixed-methods studies — with no randomised controlled trials identified. Patients want more information about their test results, particularly in terms of ‘what next’. Online access to test results is generally well accepted by patients, but reliance on electronic communication methods alone is not sufficient to meet the needs of different patients and different types of test result.