Additional Patient Resources | Lab Tests Online-UK

Lab Tests Online-UK 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.

DNA Sequencing

What is DNA? DNA is the unique genetic code found in most cells in humans as well as in organisms such as bacteria, many viruses, parasites, and plants. It is structured like a twisted ladder, with two sides and rungs made up of two pieces that fit...

Transfusion Medicine

Transfusion medicine is the branch of medicine that is concerned with the process of collecting (donation), testing, processing, storing, and transfusing blood and its components. It is a cornerstone of emergency and surgical medicine. The blood...

Pathology disciplines

Laboratories are typically divided into sections or departments according to scientific discipline. Sometimes, the labs collaborate. In leukaemia, for instance, haematology, biochemistry, molecular pathology, cytogenetics, immunology and microbiology...

People in labs

Collection Specimen collectors (phlebotomists) are expert in all types of collection but especially blood collection (phlebotomy). Some may have a nursing background but most have been trained by one of the pathology organisations or by external...

Point-of-Care Testing

What is point-of-care testing? Point of care testing (POCT) is defined as diagnostic testing that is performed at or near to the site of the patient with the result leading to a potential change in the care of that patient. Essentially it is a...

The role of testing: evaluating test results in a clinical context

Pathology testing is undertaken for many different reasons. It may be to assist in the diagnosis of a disease or to monitor changes in a previously diagnosed disease. When using pathology tests to assist in the diagnosis of a disease the doctor...

Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC)

Quality Assurance comprises everything that the laboratory does to assure a high quality service to its users. There are two kinds of process, Internal Quality Control (IQC) and External Quality Assessment (EQA). Each day laboratories analyse IQC...

Accuracy, precision, specificity & sensitivity

Key statistical concepts To be confidently used in medical decision-making, test methods must meet tough standards of statistical reliability.

Reading your results

All patients in the UK have the right to see their own test results. Historically this has been in the form of paper reports given to patients by their GP or hospital clinician, but results are now increasingly available directly online via GP record...

Testing outside of the pathology laboratory

When your GP (or other healthcare professional) requests you have a blood or other type of pathology test it will almost certainly be transported to and analysed in a hospital laboratory using equipment that can analyse many different tests on the...