The Ins and Outs of Lab Tests

Your doctor wants you to have some lab work done.  What does that mean?  Sometimes the jargon and the numbers can add to the stress of waiting to hear your results.  Here is some information to help clear away some of the confusion.

Why do we do lab work?

Your doctor or nurse practitioner may order lab work to see how things are going overall.  They may also order lab work if you have an ongoing health issue to see how the treatment is working.  Or, if you have new symptoms, they may order lab work to see if you have something that requires medication or other treatment.

How long will I have to wait?

Waiting for test results is no fun, and the time you wait varies depending on if the testing can be done right there, or if it has to be sent away for analysis.   Sometimes your results will be available on a patient portal for you to see. And sometimes the results will be shared with the doctor or nurse practitioner who ordered the test so they can go over the results with you.

What do these results mean?

Test results can be tricky to translate.

They might say ‘Positive’, or ‘Negative’, meaning you have or don’t have what the test was looking for.

If your results are inconclusive, the test didn’t give a clear answer, so you may have to do the test again or have a different kind of test.

Some results are a number.  There will usually be a range of numbers next to it to give you an idea what a healthy range would be for that test.

Tips:

Some tests require you to do or not do certain things before the testing (eat, take your medications, drink fluids, participate in physical activity etc.).  If you forget and don’t follow the instructions, be honest and let your provider or the lab know.  It could cause you to have inaccurate results.  It’s ok to reschedule the test.

Ask your healthcare provider or the lab when you will hear about the results. Ask if they will be available on a patient portal, or if someone will call you with the results, even if the results are normal and don’t need any further action.

Keep a copy of your results.  These can be helpful to share with other doctors you have.

If you have questions about your results, call your provider’s office so you can make an appointment with them, or talk to their nurse for clarification.