Understanding the consumer experience using the MyDHR portal: Do consumers perceive direct delivery of real-time pathology tests as helpful or harmful?

Background: Real-time release of pathology results through patient portals is growing globally, yet little is known about how Australian consumers experience this shift in result delivery. While immediate access may enhance consumer autonomy, it is not known whether consumers perceive this shift away from clinician-mediated result delivery as helpful or harmful. Objective: To explore consumer experiences, satisfaction and usage of a patient portal (MyDHR) that allows consumers to access clinical results in real time, bypassing traditional clinician-mediated delivery. Method: Prospective mixed-methods study using de-identified usage data and a cross-sectional online survey. Setting : Australian Capital Territory, April 2024–December 2024. Participants : Consumers using the MyDHR portal (April–June 2024, n = 33,886) and respondents to a pop-up invitation in the MyDHR portal (December 2024, n = 657). Main Outcome measures: Usage demographics (age, gender, timing and frequency of access) were analysed using ordinal logistic regression, while qualitative responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Of 494,866 pathology results, 60% were viewed within 1 day and 80% by day 5. Females were 1.8 times more likely than males to view results. Highest engagement was among females aged 25–34 (23%), 35–44 (21%) and ⩾65 years (21%). Survey respondents ( n = 657) were predominantly female (64%) aged ⩾65 years (25%) or 25–34 years (22%). Most consumers (88%) reported satisfaction with MyDHR. Privacy concerns were noted by 29%, but these did not detrimentally affect satisfaction. Qualitative feedback highlighted benefits such as autonomy, the ability to prepare questions for their healthcare provider, and tracking trends over time. Drawbacks included difficulty interpreting medical terms and frustration over delayed or missing results, particularly from private providers or during hospital admissions. Conclusion: In this first Australian study exploring consumer experiences with accessing real-time pathology results via a portal, consumers demonstrated strong engagement, high satisfaction and desire for broader access, including private pathology data. Implications for health information management practice: These findings highlight the value of patient-centred and timely access to integrated health information through portal systems. Enhanced portal supports could include robust cross-sectoral health information governance processes, and digital health literacy support that enables consumers to safely interpret and use real-time access to their own health information.