Pending results
Formal Definition
Laboratory, imaging, or pathology studies that have been ordered but whose results have not yet been received or finalized at the time of a clinical note or patient discharge; must be explicitly listed in discharge documentation with a responsible follow-up plan to prevent results from being missed after the patient leaves the hospital.
How It's Used on the Ward
"Pending results" or "results still pending" — tests that are ordered but not back yet; the items that fall through the cracks if nobody follows up.
Example
""Discharge note pending results section: blood cultures x2 from 2026-05-14 — NGTD at time of discharge, patient instructed to call if positive result reported; urine culture from 2026-05-14 — preliminary result negative, final pending; ANA panel — results expected in 5–7 days, follow-up with rheumatology at scheduled appointment.""
Clinical Context
Missed pending results are a major cause of patient harm after hospitalization — studies show 40% of patients discharged with pending results never have them followed up. Best practice: explicitly list all pending results in the discharge summary with assigned follow-up responsibility (primary care, specialist, or discharging service). Joint Commission and CMS standards require processes to ensure pending result review. EHR tools: many systems have pending result tracking and result routing to covering providers after patient discharge. Critical principle: "ordering the test means owning the result" — you are responsible until you explicitly hand off to another provider.