Plain-Language Report Explanations: Helping Patients Understand Their Radiology Reports

Author: Rishi Nayyar, Co-Founder & CEO, PocketHealth

Radiology reports are among the most important documents in a patient’s health journey, but for most people, they’re written in a language that feels foreign.

Patients often tell us the same thing: “I can see my report, but I can’t understand it.” That gap between access and comprehension can lead to anxiety and missed opportunities to have more informed conversations with physicians.

At PocketHealth, we’ve always believed patients should have access to and ownership of their imaging records. But access alone isn’t enough. Patients also need to understand what those records say.

Introducing Report Explanations

Over the last few months, we’ve been rolling out our plain-language report explanations as a new way for patients to make sense of their radiology reports. Integrated into our Unlimited plan, this feature is already in wide use.

Nearly 100,000 patients have already used report explanations to make sense of their results. The feature provides in-depth, plain language explanations written alongside their original report, powered with AI.

As we’ve developed this feature, we’ve seen academic studies review the impact of educational tools on small groups of patients. PocketHealth is now bringing in-depth patient education to scale, and it’s already changing the way patients interact with their results.

Built with Patients and Clinicians

The report explanations feature was developed with input from patients and clinicians, and implements strict guardrails:  

• Explanations only include information included in the original report
• Language is written for a high-school reading level
• No medical advice is given if not included in original radiology report
• Clinicians regularly review explanations for accuracy and clarity 

In a world where patients often turn to Google or ChatGPT for health answers, our plain language report-explanations provide safe, contextual information that patients can trust.

What Patients Are Saying

The response has been powerful:

• “Getting a version of my report that’s easy to understand makes me feel confident discussing it with my doctor.” Marlene, PocketHealth patient.
• “It’s clear to someone who isn’t in the medical field, and saved me a lot of anxiety and panic.” Kat, PocketHealth patient.

These voices matter more than any technology milestone. They show what happens when comprehension becomes part of access: patients feel more confident, more informed and more engaged in their care.

Available Across North America

Report explanations are available to all PocketHealth patients in Canada and starting this month, U.S. providers can enable the feature for their patients as well.

This feature is already reshaping how patients interact with their imaging records resulting in less anxiety and more meaningful conversations with their providers. It’s also a step toward something bigger: reducing the non-clinical burdens that get in the way of care, so the clinical experience can take center stage.