Consumers' Needs for Laboratory Results Portals: Questionnaire Study

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Engagement
• User Interface Design

Background:

• Growing consumer access to laboratory results via patient portals.
• Existing portals often lack user-centered design, impacting communication and empowerment.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate design facilitators and barriers for consumer use of laboratory results portals.
• Identify modifiable design attributes to enhance future portal interfaces and patient safety.

Main Methods:

• Web-based questionnaire distributed to consumers in British Columbia, Canada.
• Analysis of open-ended items using affinity diagramming.
• Descriptive statistics applied to closed-ended questions.

Main Results:

• Most participants (N=30) preferred portal access over provider consultations for reviewing results.
• Significant criticism directed at interface usability, information completeness, and display clarity.
• Identified display issues urgently require attention to improve communication.

Conclusions:

• Portal usability, content, and display issues are modifiable.
• Addressing these issues can enhance communication effectiveness and patient empowerment.
• Improvements to laboratory results portals can contribute to better health care safety.