Evidence mapPaperPMID 41528764Full record

ArticleFamily practice2025

Balancing efficiency and misinterpretation: general practitioners' perspectives on communicating diagnostic test results in the digital era.

Frederieke A M van der Mee, Chelsea B de Zeeuw, Jesse Jansen, Jochen W L Cals, Anneke N van Dijk-de Vries

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Article in Family practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Yonder.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Frederieke A M van der MeeDepartment of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P. Debyeplein 1, 6229 HA Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0009-0004-4894-119X
Chelsea B de ZeeuwDepartment of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P. Debyeplein 1, 6229 HA Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jesse JansenDepartment of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P. Debyeplein 1, 6229 HA Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jochen W L CalsDepartment of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P. Debyeplein 1, 6229 HA Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-9550-5674
Anneke N van Dijk-de VriesDepartment of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P. Debyeplein 1, 6229 HA Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Funding

Care Research NetherlandsMedical Sciences domain of the Dutch Research Council 08391052120002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSince patients increasingly have online access to their diagnostic test results, general practitioners (GPs) have reduced control over how this information is communicated. This shift introduces new challenges in communication and interaction with patients and requires a better understanding of how GPs experience and manage communication in an evolving digital healthcare landscape.

objectivesTo explore GPs' experiences and perceived challenges in communicating information about diagnostic test results to patients in the context of increasing digital accessibility.

methodsIn 2024, we conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled Dutch GPs in the Netherlands. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Key themes reflecting experiences and challenges related to the communication of diagnostic test results were identified.

resultsEighteen participants were interviewed in the study. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: (i) managing patient expectations; (ii) purpose-driven communication strategies; and (iii) balancing efficiency and patient engagement in communicating test results.

conclusionsGPs considered patients' online access to diagnostic test results a double-edged sword-while it may support more efficiency in the healthcare process, it also introduces communication challenges, particularly due to patients' misinterpretation of clinically insignificant findings and the use of medical jargon in reports. These findings highlight the need for tailored communication strategies and improvement of information provided in online patient portals.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelCommunicationDiagnostic Tests, RoutineGeneral PractitionersPhysician-Patient RelationsAdultDigital HealthDigital MediaFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedNetherlandsQualitative Researchelectronic health recordsgeneral practicegeneral practitionershealth communicationpatient access to recordspatient portal

Identifiers

PMID41528764
PMCPMC12798535

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.