A woman from the Hunter Region of Australia faced a distressing situation after receiving a positive result from a bowel screening test conducted in October 2022—five months later, she learned of the results. Following a colonoscopy prompted by the delayed notification, the woman was diagnosed with stage two bowel cancer and subsequently underwent surgery. Fortunately, she has since recovered, but her experience raises significant concerns about communication protocols in healthcare.
The woman had completed the bowel screening test through her general practitioner rather than participating in the national program, which sends test kits to individuals over 50 every two years. When she visited her GP for an unrelated issue in late February 2023, she was informed of the two positive results from her previous test. According to her account, the GP stated, “you didn’t ring and follow up the results.” The woman recalled responding, “I thought you’d ring me,” to which the GP reiterated that it was her responsibility to check on test outcomes.
While she chose to remain anonymous, the woman expressed her desire to raise awareness about the potential gaps in communication between healthcare providers and patients. “Luckily, I had the best outcome,” she stated, emphasizing her concern that many others may be unaware of their responsibility to check on test results. She questioned whether the increasing pressures on medical practices could be contributing to lapses in patient communication.
Dr. Max Mollenkopf, the Hunter representative for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, addressed the issue, noting that healthcare professionals have both medical and legal responsibilities to follow up on significant test results. “If someone has a clinically significant result, then you have an obligation as a practitioner to try to inform the patient of that result,” Dr. Mollenkopf explained. He emphasized that it is not acceptable to place the burden solely on patients.
General practices are required to adhere to strict policies concerning the communication of test results. Typically, healthcare providers should attempt to contact patients on three separate occasions if they have a significant result. If these attempts are unsuccessful, a registered letter must be sent to inform the patient of the positive result. Dr. Mollenkopf stated that it would be “extremely rare” for a practice to neglect to make efforts to contact a patient with a clinically significant result.
He added that while positive results may not always indicate serious health issues, protocols exist to ensure that patients are informed of significant findings. “There’s another set of results like a positive test for fecal blood that would be a significant result,” he noted.
Bowel screening tests aim to detect tiny amounts of blood in stool samples, which can indicate the presence of bowel cancer. The experience of this Hunter woman highlights the importance of effective communication in healthcare settings and the need for patients to remain proactive in seeking their health information.
