National Allergy Council Position Statement: Changes to Pathology Test Results

Background information

Pathology reports may include the results from blood tests, biopsies and urine tests.

As well as results, the pathology report includes information about the healthcare provider who requested the pathology test and information about the organisation who conducted the pathology test.

There are many benefits to having your pathology reports stored in My Health Record. It allows patients to keep track of the pathology tests they have had and when they had them. It also allows them to see if there have been any changes in their results over time. As healthcare providers can see what pathology tests a patient has had, it can also reduce duplication of testing if the patient sees multiple healthcare providers.

Recent changes to access to pathology reports

Until recently, there was a 7-day delay on patients being able to access their pathology results, once uploaded to My Health Record. This provides healthcare providers with the opportunity to review the results and explain them to their patients.

However, some pathology reports are now accessible immediately by patients after being uploaded to My Health Record. These include reports for diabetes monitoring (HbA1C), blood clotting time monitoring (or international normalised ratio [INR] test), respiratory infection tests (such as flu), and COVID-19. These results were previously not available for 7 days after upload.

Removing the 7-day delay for these pathology results is important as it enables patients to view their results immediately, and therefore better manage their own health in a timely manner as well as assist in reducing the spread of infectious diseases such as influenza and COVID-19. This is particularly important if there is a delay in the patient being able to access their healthcare provider for the results.

Other pathology results including serum specific IgE (allergy blood test) will still be delayed for 7 days after uploading to My Health Record. It is important that the healthcare provider can review and explain these results to the patient. Patients will still be able to see these pathology reports have been uploaded in their My Health Record, however they will not be able to open the document until 7 days from when the report was uploaded.

The National Allergy Council encourages people to discuss their recent pathology results with their doctor who can answer any questions and provide appropriate medical advice.

For more information, visit the Australian Digital Health Agency website.

National Allergy Council Position Statement: Changes to Pathology Test Results