Require Children’s Hospitals to Notify Parents of Critical Test Results

When a parent takes a sick child to the emergency room, they should never have to discover a significant diagnosis by reading MyChart after they have already been sent home.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to my daughter, Tela.

I took Tela to the emergency room because she was sick. She was evaluated, tested, and discharged without a diagnosis. Later, when I checked her MyChart, I discovered that she had tested positive for RSV.

But her condition got worse.

I took her back to the emergency room, seeking help once again. She was evaluated and discharged again without anyone communicating a significant diagnosis to me.

Afterward, I reviewed her medical records myself and discovered that pneumonia had been identified.

No one told me my child had pneumonia.

I then took Tela to her pediatrician, where additional testing revealed that she also had strep again.

As a parent, I should not have to piece together my child’s medical condition by searching through test results, radiology reports, and medical records after leaving the hospital.

And no parent should.

This is not simply about inconvenience or poor customer service. This is about patient safety.

When a child is discharged from an emergency room, parents rely on the medical professionals caring for that child to communicate significant findings. Parents need to know what was found, what symptoms to monitor, what treatment may be necessary, and when they should seek additional medical attention.

An electronic patient portal should be an additional resource. It should never replace direct communication between healthcare professionals and the parent or guardian of a sick child.

We are asking children’s hospitals and healthcare leaders to strengthen their policies regarding the communication of significant test results and diagnoses.

Hospitals should be required to establish clear protocols ensuring that:

Significant laboratory, imaging, and diagnostic findings are directly communicated to a parent or guardian.
Results that become available after discharge are promptly reviewed and communicated when they may affect the child’s diagnosis, treatment, or follow up care.
Parents receive clear discharge information explaining known diagnoses, pending test results, warning signs, and appropriate follow up care.
Hospitals have a documented process for contacting families when significant findings are discovered or finalized after a child has left the facility.
Electronic portals such as MyChart supplement direct communication rather than becoming the primary way families learn about significant medical findings.
Parents should not have to repeatedly refresh an app or interpret medical terminology to find out whether their child has a serious illness.

We trust children’s hospitals with the people who mean the most to us. With that trust comes a responsibility to communicate.

My daughter’s experience is why I am asking for change.

Please sign this petition to call on children’s hospitals and healthcare leaders to strengthen communication protocols and ensure that parents and guardians are promptly notified of significant diagnoses and test results.

A parent should never have to say:

“I found out my child had pneumonia by reading her medical records after we were sent home.”

Our children deserve better communication. Their parents deserve answers. And families deserve a healthcare system where critical information does not fall through the cracks.