Patients will be able to see their arm and leg X-ray results as soon as radiology clinics upload them to My Health Record, starting in March, health officials say.

However, all other imaging reports will stay “locked” from patients for five days or until the referrer releases them — a sharp contrast with changes to pathology.

The Federal Government’s push to let patients look at their own test results before they consult a doctor is, it says, about “empowering consumers to participate in their own healthcare decisions”.

Last October, My Health Record ditched the locking period for the 75 most-ordered pathology tests in 67 categories, including blood group and antibody screening, hepatitis, HIV serology and LFTs.