“Let’s see. My gliknoid complex beta is 45.3. I better google that.”
Nothing and nobody is preventing you from going to your doctor and having him explain your tests to you.
This is an OPTION.
Many people know what their tests mean, or if they are tracking some particular things, they just want to get their number to see if it’s higher or lower than the last time.
And after you get your test, you are actually more prepared to ask the right questions from your doctor, rather than having him give you a bum’s rush and AFTER you leave his office you find there are some things in the tests that you would have liked to ask him about.
I’m very, very much in favor of patients having access to their labs. It’s their data, and they are paying for it.
The one concern I have as a doc is that sometimes the news is bad, or what seems like bad news really isn’t - but needs to be considered in context. This could lead to a lot of undue anxiety for patients. On the other hand, a lot of patients get very anxious when they have to wait for a result.
I guess the best way to handle this is to tell patients that yes, they will have immediate access to their results, but that the meaning of the results isn’t always straightforward, and misinterpretation can lead to a lot of undue anxiety. In short, if you access your results and are concerned about something - let’s talk about it ASAP.