Patient Resources

laboratory tests is designed to help you, the patient or caregiver, understand the what, why, and how of laboratory testing. To access the primary resources on this website, you can go to the full listings below:

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In-depth Feature Articles

To learn more about laboratory medicine in general and gain a greater understanding of how laboratory testing can impact your healthcare, read the following in-depth articles. These patient resources are intended to help you navigate the testing process, provide context for the tests that you may have done and give you a better understanding of your test results.

The World of Forensic Laboratory Testing

Forensic testing is the gathering of data for analysis and for use in legal proceedings, depending on the laws of particular jurisdictions. Learn how forensic testing differs from clinical laboratory testing, including the special training required for lab personnel and unique procedures employed.

Anatomic Pathology

Anatomic pathology is the branch of medicine that studies the effect of disease on the structure of body organs to identify abnormalities that can help to diagnose disease and manage treatment. Learn about biopsies, histopathology, cytology, fine needle aspirations and more.

Collecting Samples for Laboratory Testing

Today's technologies allow testing on an impressively wide variety of samples collected from the human body. Learn about these samples and how they are collected to ensure accurate and reliable testing.

With Home Testing, Consumers Take Charge of Their Health

You can reap the benefits of home testing—convenience, privacy, control—as long as you educate yourself about the potential tradeoffs between quality and convenience.

How Reliable is Laboratory Testing?

Many of the decisions you and your healthcare provider make about your health status are based on laboratory data. Learn why you and your provider can trust the results coming from the laboratory and why that trust is well-placed.

The Universe of Genetic Testing

This article examines the various ways that new research in genetic testing can impact your healthcare.

Tips to Help the Elderly through Their Medical Tests

What seems like a simple medical test to the average adult can be significantly more challenging to an elderly person. This articles offers some suggestions for helping elderly patients through some of the practical matters of collecting a test sample.

Tips to Help Children through Their Medical Tests

Learn how a caring grownup can help a child cope with any physical pain or discomfort as well as any fear, anxiety, or emotional reactions that may occur as a sample is collected for laboratory testing.

Tips on Blood Testing

Many routine diagnostic tests require a blood sample. Common as it is, this brief procedure is the thing that causes the greatest apprehension among people getting laboratory tests performed. This article contains tips on making your blood tests more comfortable and less stressful.

Point-of-Care Testing

Learn about point-of-care testing (POCT), which encompasses any laboratory tests that are performed at or near a patient and at the site where care or treatment is provided. Point-of-care test results are typically available relatively quickly so that they can be acted upon without delay.