How do you Handle Labs & Patient Inquiries........

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 16, 2012

Depends on the facility's policy, how the doc/NP/PA feels about you giving any results out, how the patient is, what type of test involved, whether it needs to be read/interpreted/reviewed first...

To be honest, if you have concerns about your test, the best person to talk to is your healthcare provider. Hope things turn out OK for you.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2012

In most facilities, the nurse is not allowed to interpret lab results or even give abnormal results over the phone. The lab information cannot be given out unless the doctor/NP has reviewed the results. So if the NP hadn't look at your results yet, it's perfectly normal that the nurse would not be able to tell you what they said. In some offices, the nurse can't even give results over the phone, normal or abnormal. All results have to be given by the doctor or NP.

It's outside of the nurse's scope of practice to interpret lab results. If the nurse were to say, "Everything looks fine" and the doctor found something abnormal and then told the patient the results were abnormal, the practice and the nurse could both be held liable for the misinformation. So if my facility's policy was to not give results until they were reviewed by the NP, then I would not say that everything looks okay, even if I feel that the results were fine.

You'll find that this is similar in other areas as well, such as ultrasound and X-ray. The ultrasound or radiology tech can only take the pictures, but cannot comment on what they saw. The doctor is the one who has to review the images and talk to the patient about the results.

MoriahRoseRN · Mar 16, 2012

Ashley,

It helps to have someone else state what you are already thinking. I am just a little worried, because I am having other symptoms as well. Thank you for responding.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2012

NO matter what we say you are going to worry........but I will tell you that bad news won't wait til monday and they's fit you in. Take a deep breath in and let it out. Driving yoruself nuts will only make you stressed and exhausted and and emotional wreck.

:hug: Worrying won't change the results now.....but I have always found that bad news can't wait til Monday. My prayers for you to find healing.

Amanda.RN · Mar 17, 2012

It's poor customer service to make a patient wait for their results over the weekend, especially when they know you're worried about them. The nurse should have either told you that the results weren't available yet (I realize this is a lie, but perhaps it would have at least decreased your anxiety a little) or they should have paged the NP/MD to have the results interpreted if they didn't feel comfortable interpreting the results and at least summarizing them for you.

I am a supervisor at a primary care clinic (we also have OB/GYN services) -- we wouldn't have made you wait over the weekend knowing that the results were available. That's too bad. In our clinic, even if results are abnormal and we need to consult with/curbside a specialist to determine the best next step, we would tell you so. We strongly believe that patients should be made fully aware of everything, even if it's just to say that we're working on coming up with a plan. Fear of the unknown is the worst kind of fear, so we try to eliminate it as much as possible. Patients just want to know what's going on and be kept in-the-loop. You should consider giving feedback to the manager of the clinic so they can improve upon their customer service and patient care/satisfaction. It will be to their benefit to change their philosophies on customer service because insurance companies will soon be reimbursing based on patients' satisfaction with their care.

I hope the results come back okay. Monday probably feels like an eternity away, but it will be here soon. I know this is much easier said than done, but try not to worry because worrying isn't going to change anything.

:hug: Amanda

Hematocrit13 · Sep 11, 2016

In most facilities, the nurse is not allowed to interpret lab results or even give abnormal results over the phone. The lab information cannot be given out unless the doctor/NP has reviewed the results. So if the NP hadn't look at your results yet, it's perfectly normal that the nurse would not be able to tell you what they said. In some offices, the nurse can't even give results over the phone, normal or abnormal. All results have to be given by the doctor or NP.
It's outside of the nurse's scope of practice to interpret lab results. If the nurse were to say, "Everything looks fine" and the doctor found something abnormal and then told the patient the results were abnormal, the practice and the nurse could both be held liable for the misinformation. So if my facility's policy was to not give results until they were reviewed by the NP, then I would not say that everything looks okay, even if I feel that the results were fine.
You'll find that this is similar in other areas as well, such as ultrasound and X-ray. The ultrasound or radiology tech can only take the pictures, but cannot comment on what they saw. The doctor is the one who has to review the images and talk to the patient about the results.

Going on four years here, with this thread, but speaking as an RN, the quote about the provider needing to review the results (from my perspective, not the OP's, please understand) is not good enough. So they review it, so what? They also need to communicate something to someone at sometime. This is a very frustrating issue to a lot of nurses. Drs will call a pt and say you have chlamydia, I've called some azithro into the pharmacy, please go pick it up and take it. Now, keep in mind this may be a live conversation or it may be a voicemail. Well, guess who has to deal with the aftermath? The nurse!!! And that is one angry patient they will have on their hands (if it's an STD). Informing the pt needs to be a much and I mean much more explicit part of policies when it comes to abnormal lab results.