Medicine is advancing more rapidly than ever before due to the incredible advances in scientific discovery. Approximately 2 million scientific articles are published each year in more than 20,000 journals worldwide. Because clinical laboratories provide testing for all medical specialties, they must try to stay abreast of this information explosion and translate it into clinically relevant laboratory tests. However, a significant chasm is developing between the quantity of information available and its effective deployment to physicians and patients.
The primary purpose of this web site is to provide a comprehensive, yet practical, resource of clinical laboratory information for patients, physicians and laboratory professionals. More than 500 laboratory test interpretations, 40 transfusion guidelines, method evaluation protocols, test utilization guidelines and algorithms are provided. The test interpretations and transfusion guidelines were written to help medical students, residents and physicians stay abreast of advancements in laboratory medicine. However, they were composed clearly enough to allow patients to better understand the medical significance of their laboratory test results. The sections on quality control, method evaluation, utilization and test significant change were intended for laboratory professionals.
Patients, health care workers and laboratorians are invited to ask questions in the Q&A section. Sharing ideas will allow all of us to navigate our laboratories through calmer seas.
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