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Understanding Patient Information Needs About Their Clinical Laboratory Results: A Study of Social Q&A Site
Journal article   Open access

Understanding Patient Information Needs About Their Clinical Laboratory Results: A Study of Social Q&A Site

Zhan Zhang, Yu Lu, Yubo Kou, Danny T Y Wu, Jina Huh-Yoo and Zhe He
Studies in health technology and informatics, v 264, pp 1403-1407
21 Aug 2019
PMID: 31438157
url
https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI190458View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Patient Portals Information Seeking Behaviors Consumer Health Information
Clinical data, such as laboratory test results, is increasingly being made available to patients through patient portals. However, patients often have difficulties understanding and acting upon the clinical data presented in portals. As such, many turn to online resources to fill their knowledge gaps and obtain actionable advice. In this work, we present a content analysis of the questions posted in a major social Q&A site to characterize lay people's general information needs concerning laboratory test results and to inform the design of patient portals for supporting patients' understanding of clinical data. We identified 15 information needs related to laboratory test results, and clustered them under four themes: understanding the results of lab test, interpreting doctor's diagnosis, learning about lab tests, and consulting the next steps. We draw on our findings to discuss design opportunities for supporting the understanding of laboratory results.

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19 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Health Care Sciences & Services
Medical Informatics
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