Removing the seven-day lock on patients viewing pathology and imaging results in My Health Record could lead them to cancel follow-up appointments based on their own interpretations, doctors warn. 

The federal Department of Health and Aged Care is consulting on whether all results uploaded to My Health Record should be available to patients immediately as a default, as they are for COVID-19 tests.  

The consultation followed Minister for Health Mark Butler’s comment earlier this year that the seven-day lock was “a barrier to good clinical practice [and caused] untold frustration for Australians”.

But the AMA was concerned about patients misinterpreting their tests or making life-altering decisions based on devastating results without seeing a doctor.