What do lab results tell you?
What do lab results tell you?
Evaluate how well organs—such as the kidneys, liver, thyroid, and heart—are working. Diagnose diseases and conditions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, anemia (uh-NEE-me-eh), and coronary heart disease. Find out whether you have risk factors for heart disease. Check whether medicines you’re taking are working.
How do I get my lab results?
You may receive your test results directly from your physician.
- Next time your physician orders a lab test, ask your physician to indicate on the requisition that Quest Diagnostics should also send you a copy of the test results.
- If you want a copy of previous test results you can ask your physician to send you a copy.
What do lab values mean?
Lab values are used to determine a patient’s overall health and well-being. There are many factors that can affect a patient’s result and lab values but some of the most common factors are gender, age, race, the medicines taken, and the presense of any underlying condition(s).
Do I have a right to my lab results?
Yes. Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, an individual has a general right to access, upon request, PHI about the individual in a designated record set maintained by or for a clinical laboratory that is a covered entity. A test result or test report is only part of the designated record set a clinical laboratory may hold.
Should I call doctor for test results?
“Some patients aren’t being told about the results of tests, and this shouldn’t happen. The takeaway message for consumers is clear — if you don’t hear within two weeks, call your doctor’s office.”
What are good levels in a blood test?
For some tests, such as the hemoglobin test, normal results vary by age. For children, for example, a hemoglobin level of about 11 to 13 grams/deciliter (g/dl) is normal, while for men, a value of about 14 to 17 g/dl is normal, and for women, 12 to 15 g/dl is normal.
What do the lab results really mean?
Your lab results may also include one of these terms: Negative or normal, which means the disease or substance being tested was not found Positive or abnormal, which means the disease or substance was found Inconclusive or uncertain, which means there wasn’t enough information in the results to diagnose or rule out a disease.
How do you read lab results?
When reading a lab result, take note of the specimen type, whether it was blood, urine or other biological fluid being analyzed. The name of the test performed may be written in short form. Look up the name of the test to find out more information on the specific test.
How to understand your lab results?
To better understand your lab report, it’s helpful to recognize the relationship of the test results . Here are basic descriptions of the three major tests and the results that are most commonly listed under each. In many blood test results, the first list under the “Test Name” column shows the results of the CBC, or complete blood count.
What is the meaning of lab results?
The test works by detecting cryptococcal antigen (abbreviated “CrAg”), an indicator of infection, in serum (a component of blood) and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The antigen test can detect cryptococcal antigen in serum a median of 22 days before symptoms of meningitis develop.
