How do I communicate a negative occult blood (hidden blood) stool test result in a patient portal message?

Communicating Negative Fecal Occult Blood Test Results

Your patient's stool samples showed no hidden blood, which is a reassuring finding.

Recommended Portal Message Language

For a patient portal message communicating negative occult blood stool test results, use clear, non-technical language that reassures while providing appropriate context:

Suggested wording:

• "Your stool test results came back negative, meaning no blood was detected in your samples. This is a normal result."
• "The test for hidden blood in your stool samples was negative. No blood was found."
• "Good news - your stool samples did not show any evidence of blood."

Important Context to Include

For Screening Purposes

• If this was routine colorectal cancer screening, emphasize that annual testing is necessary to achieve the full benefit of this screening method, as a single negative test does not eliminate future risk 1.
• The American Cancer Society guidelines stress that patients must understand they need repeated testing annually if using fecal occult blood testing as their screening strategy 1.

Clinical Limitations to Acknowledge

• A negative result does not completely rule out colorectal pathology, as fecal occult blood tests have approximately 50% sensitivity for colorectal cancers when using standard methods 2.
• If the patient has iron deficiency anemia or ongoing symptoms despite negative results, further evaluation with colonoscopy may still be warranted 3.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Do not provide false reassurance - while negative results are encouraging, they do not guarantee absence of disease, particularly if symptoms persist 4.
• Never attribute symptoms solely to medications (like aspirin or anticoagulants) without complete evaluation, even with negative occult blood testing 3.
• If iron deficiency anemia is present in men or postmenopausal women, gastrointestinal evaluation remains indicated despite negative fecal occult blood results 5, 3.

Follow-Up Recommendations

• Remind patients about the timing of their next screening test (typically in one year for average-risk screening) 1.
• Instruct patients to report any new symptoms such as visible blood in stool, black tarry stools, unexplained weight loss, or changes in bowel habits 6.