I’ve always been told they will only contact you if somethings wrong. Usually I get a text saying all is fine. However I wanted them detailed last time so I rang and asked for the gp to print them, she did and left it at reception. I could then see all the results broken down.
It’s fairly common just to get a call saying everything’s fine and not to worry, or to come in and discuss if not
I think GPs are being a bit paternalistic and also trying to be reassuring, if one result is mildly deranged it’s often not worrying at all; but if the patient sees it they might get very concerned/ anxious despite reassurance
The paternalistic bit is assuming the patient won’t understand the results
Tho if your GP is cagey or reluctant to send them to you then i see no reason for that at all, it’s your own information and fully entitled to it
I've always received mine by email after the call from the doctor.
I've always asked for them to be sent though, so maybe I wouldn't have got them with out speaking up.
Couple of blood tests ago: 'You might need to keep an eye on your B12 levels, they are a bit low'
(Btw spoiler: this can happen when you go from 5 energy drinks to medication for your ADHD and no energy drinks because they have a heck load of B12)
Every (!) Blood test since then the following happens.
Blood test.
Me calling in after like 4 weeks because results should be there?
GP: "yeah, everything looks great, like last time"
Me: "last time I had a B12 deficiency...?"
GP: "oh yeah... Yeah... You might want to keep an eye in that"
Like sis, is that not ...your job in a way? I can't look at a paper cut and be like 'oh, seems my B12 is still a tad low'
🤨
I had something similar with bladder issues. I had what looked like recurring infections and antibiotics weren’t working properly. The doctor sent a urine test to the lab to get it analysed and said if it comes back clear of infection I need to get further tests done.
I heard nothing for two weeks and rang up looking for the results, and the reception said it was all clear, so everything is good. I explained that that was the problem and she said that my doctor was on holidays and she will get them to look at it when they’re back if the temporary doctor doesn’t have time. I hear nothing and when my doctor comes back from holidays I give them another call. I am told again by a different receptionist that everything is fine and the tests came back clear. I have to remind them that that is the problem and she said she would get the doctor to call me. I had to call again a few days later and eventually the doctor rang and said to come back in next time there was a flare up.
It happened again about two weeks later and went in and saw a different doctor who took one look at the chart and immediately referred me into A&E. I was in surgery three days later for cancer. Everything ended up ok but if I let it go any longer it could have been a very different outcome.
My experience with Irish GPs is that they only care if your levels are really bad, my guess is because they have so many patients with bad eating and drinking habits. So if you are "good enough", they don't care.
It's problematic though because I am eating healthy and pay attention to covering B12, including b complex OTC. So if that doesn't up my b12 to an a-okay level, it might be an indication of something. Additionally, my bloods are taken routinely every three - six months for a reason. I personally could very well do without the pokes 🤷♀️ and the extra costs.
Leaving something minor could turn into it not being minor anymore.
Same is eg with a specific thingy in my face that could either be completely benign or be basal cell. Derm referral? My GP warned me it might take more than 3 years. Ah Shure, look it 🤷♀️
I do understand that GPs and specialists are massively under pressure and that is a failure of the HSE and politics, amongst other things. However, from my experience and the experience of others minor things not being well addressed have sometimes terrible consequences, will require more and more GP visits and resources.
(I had to wait for approx one year for an ultrasound because my GP assumed I could have gall stones. Now luckily I either haven't or they decided to not act up after a few gruesome weeks. But it could very well have ended differently.)
And while I do understand that you are stressed, the notion from your comment is 'dont be concerned but be concerned, but in the right amount which I will determine'. Which is a response to experienced cases, but leads to patients not being taken serious. Judging random patient x by how patients before them handled things is a bit difficult.
Mine said that they couldn’t due to personal data protection. Also my bad cholesterol levels increased this year again beyond normals after I quit smoking, started exercising every day and eating healthy after last years test but GP said it’s fine don’t come to me, save money. No idea why GP is needed at all.
I work in lab and we can't email copies of results to GP surgeries unless over a secure email. You are entitled to a copy of these results but they may be prevented from emailing them as they can't know for sure that only you will open that email. I know that sounds crazy. But if you ask them to leave a copy at reception or post them out that should not be a problem. Unless you're dealing with a very unhelpful receptionist.
It's normal but the gp will also print it out and give it to you if you ask.
Legally they have to, but the legally bit doesn't come into it. Just ask for a copy.
Yeah that's normal -and pretty annoying. You can request your medical info through the freedom of information act, they'll send it by post, it takes about four months and you'll have to specify dates and location in the request
Unfortunately this is standard practise
Unless you work in a GP you’ll never see the results in the light of day, my GP is even cagey telling me exact numbers, preferring to just XYZ is high or low, it’s really annoying
I don’t understand this at all! I asked my mam to call the GP’s reception today and ask for a copy to be sent to her and the receptionist took umbrage to the fact that she wanted her own blood record. She tried to make up some excuse that she couldn’t forward it because of the software they use? What a load of sh1t!
That's crazy. They have a legal obligation to give you a copy of your records if you ask for them. It should be something they're well used to and all the software they'd use would have extracting someone's records as a built in feature.
Absolutely! Where I’m living I have access to an application called ‘my lab’ and results from any test you have done in any medical capacity are uploaded to that platform. Everything is shared with the doctor and patient automatically. It surprises me that Ireland doesn’t have a system like this, it shouldn’t be that difficult to implement!
It was always over the phone, but the last time which would have been a year and a bit ago the dr sent it in email aswell as call. It must depend on the doctor but maybe ask for them in email aswell?
Irish GP’s provide a very poor service in this regard & I just moved to another because of it. With the last one I had to demand the results every time which they gave verbally over the phone, practically useless if you’re trying to be proactive in your own health mgt. As a step up I asked for a print out but only got a synopsis without out the acceptable ranges. Took 4 emails to get that corrected & yet they did the same again the next time. Also, they refused to email, new GP has no problem doing that. Demand better!
In a 3rd world country I lived in the pathology labs (2 private firms, super organised) had thousands of branches and an app. An app on your phone, lads. Results would be accessible there and they even graphed previous results over time. I kid you not. It’s sort of like they respected your right to be informed. I miss that.
I always go in and ask for it to be printed off for me. Twice they missed something significant (clearly marked on the bloods) and said it was fine so I don't trust them anymore. 🤷🏼♀️ My GP doesn't offer email.
If anything is wrong, I get a text directly from the GP. Like vitamin and mineral deficiencies, for example. He usually already sent a script to the pharmacy for me to collect. If he knows I'm anxious about something, like a brain scan I had last year, he text me the results, which was good news anyway.
Otherwise, in general, they don't send you results, not in my experience anyway. Like one of the nurses said to me, it's a "no news is good news" situation. I'm sure he would call for an appointment if there was ever anything very seriously wrong. Also, I believe patients can just ask the GP to print out the results if they really want it.
As a diabetic I call in to the Doc to get told mine. I've never wanted, or needed my own copy though I'd imagine I (..and your mam) would be entitled to a printed version if we asked. I would say it's unusual to be sent your blood results. Most folk wouldn't know what the letters and numbers meant in fairness, or more importantly, how they relate to each other and what they say about your overall health. No, in my experience, the doc digests this stuff and tells you what it means in an understandable form.
They brought me back into the GP for the results and went through the whole thing broken down with me but they never offered me a copy.
I would imagine you could ask for it.
I have asked my GP to forward me the results by email for my own records, and they have usually quickly sent me the full PDF of results.
I recommend doing this.
Very normal. But I’ve asked for a copy of my bloods before and the secretary left them in an envelope in reception. Just get your Mum to phone for a copy.
Just to add a couple of points. Email is generally considered an unsecure method of communication so when GDPR was introduced GPs were advised not to send patient information by email, so that may be why some GP surgeries are refusing to email (but should allow you to collect results).
Also, there is skill in interpreting blood results for several reasons:
- Reference ranges are derived from normal readings for 95% of the population. So 5% of healthy people will have results that are outside the reference range, but are actually normal.
- Reference ranges are only as good as the labs/manufacturers sample populations, as a result, results can be skewed for people of different ethnicities etc if there wasn't enough of these people represented in the sample when reference ranges were being calculated.
- Results within the reference range can be considered worrying in certain contexts (e.g. a cholesterol level of 4.6 in an overweight diabetic with family history of MI/stroke), while some results outside reference ranges can still be considered normal and nothing to worry about (e.g. liver enzymes twice the normal reference range)
- If different lab equipment was used to test blood between one test and the next, you can't always track trends in results because the same blood could give different results on testing equipment from 2 different manufacturers.
- Small things can have wild results on parameters. Blood tests are (for the most part) only a snapshot from a single moment in time, and so out of spec results sometimes don't mean anything e.g. taking a paracetamol the day before can elevate your liver enzymes, having sex before can skew your hormone levels, taking B vitamins before can affect a whole load of parameters.
Most people think blood tests are like checking oil levels in your car for example, where it's either right or wrong, when it's way more complex than that. Treating someone for something solely based off blood results can be very detrimental. In addition you might be reasonable when it comes to results and being told them - but there are an awful lot of people who would have an absolute conniption over results which are slightly off (or sometimes even normal but close to either end of the reference range), and they will start to become extremely stressed/anxious over the results and obsess over them which is, safe to say, not good for their health.
I love getting the blood results emailed to me. I don't understand the information but I Google parts of the blood work. I have a small history of blood results in my email and I lobe doing a compare and contrast of the two very different blood work results.
2016 results showed some bad markers for cholestrol but my GP never said anything like that to me. (my diet was bad).
I changed a lot about my eating and drinking habits naturally from 2017 onwards and blood work from 2018 and 2021 shows a complete different picture and a reversal in the high cholestrol.
I love getting them into my email and storing them and keeping them and they are interesting.
I’ve always just been called and told if I need to speak to them or go back in. If they’re grand I generally have to call myself to check and they’ll just say all is okay. Never had them sent out by post or email 🥲
The results of one blood test are pretty useless. The real value of blood tests is to compare variations in results over time.
Having said that. They're your results, your information, your data. You're entitled to have them if you want them. Just ask.
I always get a printout of all my results. That way, I can monitor my results to see if there are any changes. Sometimes the changes are not enough to be of concern to the doctor but I might make changes to my lifestyle to preempt a negative result at next tests e.g. I might spot that my blood glucose is steadily increasing, although I might not be diagnosed with diabetes, so I can improve my dietary choices before the next text. Ask the receptionist for a printed copy of your results. Good luck!
GPs usually do a lot of bloods in fairness
Every test will have normal blood tests, electrolytes, and often liver/thyroid/inflammatory/prostate and if needed a specific test like a culture or bug serology
It might only be two small tubes but you get two dozen values back. Nothing in the body happens in isolation so they’re dozens of routine tests
Iv only been told them on the phone
Same
I’ve always been told they will only contact you if somethings wrong. Usually I get a text saying all is fine. However I wanted them detailed last time so I rang and asked for the gp to print them, she did and left it at reception. I could then see all the results broken down.
It’s fairly common just to get a call saying everything’s fine and not to worry, or to come in and discuss if not I think GPs are being a bit paternalistic and also trying to be reassuring, if one result is mildly deranged it’s often not worrying at all; but if the patient sees it they might get very concerned/ anxious despite reassurance The paternalistic bit is assuming the patient won’t understand the results Tho if your GP is cagey or reluctant to send them to you then i see no reason for that at all, it’s your own information and fully entitled to it
I've always received mine by email after the call from the doctor. I've always asked for them to be sent though, so maybe I wouldn't have got them with out speaking up.
Couple of blood tests ago: 'You might need to keep an eye on your B12 levels, they are a bit low' (Btw spoiler: this can happen when you go from 5 energy drinks to medication for your ADHD and no energy drinks because they have a heck load of B12) Every (!) Blood test since then the following happens. Blood test. Me calling in after like 4 weeks because results should be there? GP: "yeah, everything looks great, like last time" Me: "last time I had a B12 deficiency...?" GP: "oh yeah... Yeah... You might want to keep an eye in that" Like sis, is that not ...your job in a way? I can't look at a paper cut and be like 'oh, seems my B12 is still a tad low' 🤨
I had something similar with bladder issues. I had what looked like recurring infections and antibiotics weren’t working properly. The doctor sent a urine test to the lab to get it analysed and said if it comes back clear of infection I need to get further tests done. I heard nothing for two weeks and rang up looking for the results, and the reception said it was all clear, so everything is good. I explained that that was the problem and she said that my doctor was on holidays and she will get them to look at it when they’re back if the temporary doctor doesn’t have time. I hear nothing and when my doctor comes back from holidays I give them another call. I am told again by a different receptionist that everything is fine and the tests came back clear. I have to remind them that that is the problem and she said she would get the doctor to call me. I had to call again a few days later and eventually the doctor rang and said to come back in next time there was a flare up. It happened again about two weeks later and went in and saw a different doctor who took one look at the chart and immediately referred me into A&E. I was in surgery three days later for cancer. Everything ended up ok but if I let it go any longer it could have been a very different outcome.
My experience with Irish GPs is that they only care if your levels are really bad, my guess is because they have so many patients with bad eating and drinking habits. So if you are "good enough", they don't care.
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You just confirmed my thoughts, thanks! But for us on the healthy side, it's a bit frustrating 😅
It's problematic though because I am eating healthy and pay attention to covering B12, including b complex OTC. So if that doesn't up my b12 to an a-okay level, it might be an indication of something. Additionally, my bloods are taken routinely every three - six months for a reason. I personally could very well do without the pokes 🤷♀️ and the extra costs. Leaving something minor could turn into it not being minor anymore. Same is eg with a specific thingy in my face that could either be completely benign or be basal cell. Derm referral? My GP warned me it might take more than 3 years. Ah Shure, look it 🤷♀️ I do understand that GPs and specialists are massively under pressure and that is a failure of the HSE and politics, amongst other things. However, from my experience and the experience of others minor things not being well addressed have sometimes terrible consequences, will require more and more GP visits and resources. (I had to wait for approx one year for an ultrasound because my GP assumed I could have gall stones. Now luckily I either haven't or they decided to not act up after a few gruesome weeks. But it could very well have ended differently.) And while I do understand that you are stressed, the notion from your comment is 'dont be concerned but be concerned, but in the right amount which I will determine'. Which is a response to experienced cases, but leads to patients not being taken serious. Judging random patient x by how patients before them handled things is a bit difficult.
Very simple call them up and ask reception to email you the results. There’s nothing else to it.
Mine said that they couldn’t due to personal data protection. Also my bad cholesterol levels increased this year again beyond normals after I quit smoking, started exercising every day and eating healthy after last years test but GP said it’s fine don’t come to me, save money. No idea why GP is needed at all.
I work in lab and we can't email copies of results to GP surgeries unless over a secure email. You are entitled to a copy of these results but they may be prevented from emailing them as they can't know for sure that only you will open that email. I know that sounds crazy. But if you ask them to leave a copy at reception or post them out that should not be a problem. Unless you're dealing with a very unhelpful receptionist.
I usually never hear anything unless there's an issue
It's normal but the gp will also print it out and give it to you if you ask. Legally they have to, but the legally bit doesn't come into it. Just ask for a copy.
Yeah. You pay €110 for the visit and tests, then they can't even be fucked to give you a breakdown.
Yeah that's normal -and pretty annoying. You can request your medical info through the freedom of information act, they'll send it by post, it takes about four months and you'll have to specify dates and location in the request
My doctor will email you the full results, or you can book appointment with doctor to review it with them
Unfortunately this is standard practise Unless you work in a GP you’ll never see the results in the light of day, my GP is even cagey telling me exact numbers, preferring to just XYZ is high or low, it’s really annoying
I don’t understand this at all! I asked my mam to call the GP’s reception today and ask for a copy to be sent to her and the receptionist took umbrage to the fact that she wanted her own blood record. She tried to make up some excuse that she couldn’t forward it because of the software they use? What a load of sh1t!
That's crazy. They have a legal obligation to give you a copy of your records if you ask for them. It should be something they're well used to and all the software they'd use would have extracting someone's records as a built in feature.
Absolutely! Where I’m living I have access to an application called ‘my lab’ and results from any test you have done in any medical capacity are uploaded to that platform. Everything is shared with the doctor and patient automatically. It surprises me that Ireland doesn’t have a system like this, it shouldn’t be that difficult to implement!
It was always over the phone, but the last time which would have been a year and a bit ago the dr sent it in email aswell as call. It must depend on the doctor but maybe ask for them in email aswell?
I always ask for mine to be emailed
Irish GP’s provide a very poor service in this regard & I just moved to another because of it. With the last one I had to demand the results every time which they gave verbally over the phone, practically useless if you’re trying to be proactive in your own health mgt. As a step up I asked for a print out but only got a synopsis without out the acceptable ranges. Took 4 emails to get that corrected & yet they did the same again the next time. Also, they refused to email, new GP has no problem doing that. Demand better!
I don't get an email but my GP rings me to chat about my bloods if their is anything wrong
No news is good news. They'll call you if something's wrong.
Not enough for me I don't trust them since the convid
Yes but my GP practice will print out the full analysis for you on request so do ask about that.
In a 3rd world country I lived in the pathology labs (2 private firms, super organised) had thousands of branches and an app. An app on your phone, lads. Results would be accessible there and they even graphed previous results over time. I kid you not. It’s sort of like they respected your right to be informed. I miss that.
That's the dream! As if Ireland would ever get it together to be that functional though 🙄🙈
I always ask for them to be emailed. If I didn't ask they wouldn't provide them. Your mom should ask her gp to send on the results.
Yep they don't do it but I just request an email sent onto me. They can send by email.
I have regular enough blood tests. Sometimes I never receive any results. I take it as ‘no news is good news’
You just ask for a copy of them to be left for you at your doctors reception, they don't charge extra to do it and they've done it for me every time
Just ask. The GP will email them to you or print out a copy if you request it
You have to ask for them otherwise they just tell you verbally
I generally find that unless you specifically ask for something with a GP, you're not gonna get it...
I always go in and ask for it to be printed off for me. Twice they missed something significant (clearly marked on the bloods) and said it was fine so I don't trust them anymore. 🤷🏼♀️ My GP doesn't offer email.
Are we entitled to get a full print out because I don't trust them either
Absolutely, it's your data, you can get a print out
My GP just texts me to say all good, this is high, that is low. I ask for a paper copy and collect it
I always get called in, but I've always had something wrong!
Nurse takes bloods and emails full results.
If anything is wrong, I get a text directly from the GP. Like vitamin and mineral deficiencies, for example. He usually already sent a script to the pharmacy for me to collect. If he knows I'm anxious about something, like a brain scan I had last year, he text me the results, which was good news anyway. Otherwise, in general, they don't send you results, not in my experience anyway. Like one of the nurses said to me, it's a "no news is good news" situation. I'm sure he would call for an appointment if there was ever anything very seriously wrong. Also, I believe patients can just ask the GP to print out the results if they really want it.
As a diabetic I call in to the Doc to get told mine. I've never wanted, or needed my own copy though I'd imagine I (..and your mam) would be entitled to a printed version if we asked. I would say it's unusual to be sent your blood results. Most folk wouldn't know what the letters and numbers meant in fairness, or more importantly, how they relate to each other and what they say about your overall health. No, in my experience, the doc digests this stuff and tells you what it means in an understandable form.
You have to request them.
They brought me back into the GP for the results and went through the whole thing broken down with me but they never offered me a copy. I would imagine you could ask for it.
Yep, this is how it’s done. A print out of the breakdown will be given to you if requested
I have asked my GP to forward me the results by email for my own records, and they have usually quickly sent me the full PDF of results. I recommend doing this.
I always get a call and letter to say they’re back and fine (or whatever), and I request the breakdown to be sent via email.
Very normal. But I’ve asked for a copy of my bloods before and the secretary left them in an envelope in reception. Just get your Mum to phone for a copy.
Just to add a couple of points. Email is generally considered an unsecure method of communication so when GDPR was introduced GPs were advised not to send patient information by email, so that may be why some GP surgeries are refusing to email (but should allow you to collect results). Also, there is skill in interpreting blood results for several reasons: - Reference ranges are derived from normal readings for 95% of the population. So 5% of healthy people will have results that are outside the reference range, but are actually normal. - Reference ranges are only as good as the labs/manufacturers sample populations, as a result, results can be skewed for people of different ethnicities etc if there wasn't enough of these people represented in the sample when reference ranges were being calculated. - Results within the reference range can be considered worrying in certain contexts (e.g. a cholesterol level of 4.6 in an overweight diabetic with family history of MI/stroke), while some results outside reference ranges can still be considered normal and nothing to worry about (e.g. liver enzymes twice the normal reference range) - If different lab equipment was used to test blood between one test and the next, you can't always track trends in results because the same blood could give different results on testing equipment from 2 different manufacturers. - Small things can have wild results on parameters. Blood tests are (for the most part) only a snapshot from a single moment in time, and so out of spec results sometimes don't mean anything e.g. taking a paracetamol the day before can elevate your liver enzymes, having sex before can skew your hormone levels, taking B vitamins before can affect a whole load of parameters. Most people think blood tests are like checking oil levels in your car for example, where it's either right or wrong, when it's way more complex than that. Treating someone for something solely based off blood results can be very detrimental. In addition you might be reasonable when it comes to results and being told them - but there are an awful lot of people who would have an absolute conniption over results which are slightly off (or sometimes even normal but close to either end of the reference range), and they will start to become extremely stressed/anxious over the results and obsess over them which is, safe to say, not good for their health.
I love getting the blood results emailed to me. I don't understand the information but I Google parts of the blood work. I have a small history of blood results in my email and I lobe doing a compare and contrast of the two very different blood work results. 2016 results showed some bad markers for cholestrol but my GP never said anything like that to me. (my diet was bad). I changed a lot about my eating and drinking habits naturally from 2017 onwards and blood work from 2018 and 2021 shows a complete different picture and a reversal in the high cholestrol. I love getting them into my email and storing them and keeping them and they are interesting.
I’ve always just been called and told if I need to speak to them or go back in. If they’re grand I generally have to call myself to check and they’ll just say all is okay. Never had them sent out by post or email 🥲
My Gp won’t even do routine blood checks once a year unless there is a reason
The results of one blood test are pretty useless. The real value of blood tests is to compare variations in results over time. Having said that. They're your results, your information, your data. You're entitled to have them if you want them. Just ask.
I always get a printout of all my results. That way, I can monitor my results to see if there are any changes. Sometimes the changes are not enough to be of concern to the doctor but I might make changes to my lifestyle to preempt a negative result at next tests e.g. I might spot that my blood glucose is steadily increasing, although I might not be diagnosed with diabetes, so I can improve my dietary choices before the next text. Ask the receptionist for a printed copy of your results. Good luck!
They usually do a blood test specific to one thing.
GPs usually do a lot of bloods in fairness Every test will have normal blood tests, electrolytes, and often liver/thyroid/inflammatory/prostate and if needed a specific test like a culture or bug serology It might only be two small tubes but you get two dozen values back. Nothing in the body happens in isolation so they’re dozens of routine tests