Patient Notification of Diagnostic Test Results: An Interprofessional Simulated Activity

Introduction and Purpose: Nurse practitioners frequently need to call patients to discuss diagnostic test results. Not all of these results and tests are easy to explain to patients. In addition, the nurse practitioner needs to be ready to answer questions from the patient in real time. Students do not frequently have an opportunity to notify patients of test results via telephone in the clinical setting. This leaves the student ill prepared for this aspect of practice. Pharmacists will also call providers to discuss lab results and the impact on medications. The nurse practitioner needs to be able to communicate effectively with these providers in order to provide safe and optimal care. Students do not frequently have an opportunity to discuss patient care with the interprofessional team due to restraints in the clinical setting. This assignment meets the needs of these two areas in the education of the nurse practitioner student.

Approach: Nurse practitioner faculty identified common tests that are usually completed in the clinic, but results may not be completed by the end of the patient visit. Collaboration with faulty from the College of Pharmacy determined common reasons pharmacists call providers regarding lab results. Scenarios were developed that included a patient visit, rationale for diagnostic test ordered, and the result of the test. This information was emailed to the nurse practitioner student. Pharmacy faculty handed the results and encounter to the pharmacy student. The pharmacy student initiated a phone call to the nurse practitioner student to discuss the results and a plan of care. The nurse practitioner student then called the patient who was simulated by the nursing faculty. The nurse practitioner relayed the test results and plan of care. The nurse practitioner student also answered patient questions. The students documented the encounter as they would any electronic medication record. Pharmacy faculty provided feedback on interprofessional communication and the nursing faculty provided information on the patient communication.

Results: Evaluations and feedback regarding student perception of discussing the diagnostic test results and plan as well as answering questions from both the interprofessional student and the simulated patient will be discussed.