Patient perspectives on electronic communication of cancer diagnoses.

Patient portals can provide timely test result communication, but direct online access of serious diagnostic findings can be psychologically harmful without a clinician interface. This survey of more than 2,400 patients at a comprehensive cancer center finds that, although most learned their cancer diagnosis from a clinician, a growing share especially those with recurrent cancer, first learned it through the portal. Despite valuing rapid electronic access to results, three-quarters preferred to receive new or recurrent cancer diagnoses directly from their clinical team.