Reporting Critical Test Results in a Timely Manner: Meeting National Patient Safety Goal 2C

Source: Joint Commission Perspectives on Patient Safety, Volume 6, Number 8, August 2006, pp. 13-14(2)

 

From 1985 to 1990, more than 300 patients filed lawsuits charging that delayed critical test result reports were to ultimately blame for 127 cases of breast cancer, 51 incidents of gastrointestinal cancer, 50 cases of lung cancer, and 33 reports of head and neck cancers. (The average diagnostic delay for 212 of those cases was 17 months.) Although the transmission of critical test results between health care providers can be complex, the result—extensive postponement of treatment—causes patients to suffer unnecessarily. This article discusses the challenges of communicating critical test results, such as determining which interpretive, diagnostic tests are critical and identifying responsible caregivers.