Laboratory and diagnostic testing. The words themselves often conjure up cold and
impersonal images of needles, specimens lined up in collection containers, and
high-tech electronic equipment. But they do not stand alone. They are tied to,
bound with, and tell of health or disease in the blood and tissue of a person.
Laboratory and diagnostic studies augment the health care provider’s assessment of the
quality of an individual’s physical being. Test results guide the plans and interventions
geared toward strengthening life’s quality and endurance. Beyond the pounding noise
of the MRI, the cold steel of the x-ray table, the sting of the needle, the invasive collec-
tion of fluids and tissue, and the probing and inspection is the gathering of evidence
that supports the health care provider’s ability to discern the course of a disease and the
progression of its treatment. Laboratory and diagnostic data must be viewed with
thought and compassion, however, as well as with microscopes and machines. We
must remember that behind the specimen and test result is the person from whom it
came, a person who is someone’s son, daughter, mother, father, husband, wife, friend.
This book is written to help health care providers in their understanding and
interpretation of laboratory and diagnostic procedures and their outcomes. Just as
important, it is dedicated to all health care professionals who experience the wonders
in the science of laboratory and diagnostic testing, performed and interpreted in a
caring and efficient manner.
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