About LabTests.ir Site

This award-winning site is produced by AACC, a global scientific and medical professional organization dedicated to clinical laboratory science and its application to healthcare, and is the result of a collaboration of professional societies representing the laboratory community as well as other medical professions. Our partners are responsible for localizing laboratory tests to the national language, policy, and practice of their respective countries. With their assistance, laboratory tests has become a global standard for patient education and a vital component in the common goal of improving health literacy and patient engagement.

Since its launch in 2001, laboratory tests has helped millions of users learn about their tests and discuss them more clearly with their healthcare providers. To ensure that the site is accepted as a trusted source for medical information, we adhere to the principles espoused by the Health on the Net Foundation, an international not-for-profit organization that seeks "to guide lay persons or non-medical users and medical practitioners to useful and reliable online medical and health information."

This site would not be possible without the many volunteer hours provided by members of our Editorial Review Board, nor the financial support of our sponsors. We would also like to acknowledge the contributions of numerous members of the laboratory and medical community who wrote, edited, or reviewed the material found on the site as well as the many online and offline resources used by our writers in their research. You can typically find these resources listed at the end of each article under "Sources."

The Content & Services page describes what you can find on laboratory tests and how it can benefit you. laboratory tests has been designed as a resource where people can find up-to-date lab testing information vital to the understanding and management of their health or the health of someone close to them. The focus is very specific to clinical laboratory tests and the topics that relate to them. On this site, you will find the following:

Test descriptions: At the core of the site is a library of tests, also called analytes, that will provide helpful background for understanding why a test might be ordered and what the results might mean. We also explain what kind of sample, or specimen, is required to perform the test, and we provide answers to some commonly asked questions.

Conditions: The site also includes a library of conditions and diseases that are briefly described and linked to the tests that are typically used to screen for, diagnose, and monitor them.

Screening Guide: Preventive screening is an important part of maintaining your health. With our screening guide, organized by age and condition, we provide a survey of screening recommendations from some of the leading authorities. Many organizations have weighed in with recommendations that are not always in agreement with one another but, in the end, screening is a matter for discussion between you and your healthcare provider. This guide should help get you started. You can also read our article Wellness and Prevention in an Era of Patient Responsibility.

News: Advances in technology are having a tremendous impact on clinical lab testing. From refinements in clinical research to development of more home testing devices and kits to the promises of Internet technologies (enabling such things as this web site), there is a lot going on in this field that has a direct effect on you, the healthcare consumer. To help you keep up, we aggregate the news, summarizing from key news sources and supplementing with original work.

Patient Resources:

• What is a reference range? And how does it affect you? How do you cope with anxiety over providing a bodily sample for testing? How much can you trust the home tests that are available? These and other important questions are examined and answered in a set of in-depth articles developed exclusively for lab tests. They provide a broader perspective that can help you better understand your tests.
• The laboratory is part of the healthcare infrastructure that is a mystery to most healthcare consumers. We try to pull back the curtains a bit to show you what real-world wizardry occurs inside the lab because, without it, many diagnoses would be reduced to guesswork and early detection and prevention of numerous conditions could not occur. We hope that these pages help you feel better about being tested and give you an appreciation for the good work of so many people.

Ask A Laboratory Scientist: A the end of most test descriptions, you have the opportunity to submit questions about laboratory tests and have them answered by clinical laboratory scientists. This service is provided via one of our partner organizations, ASCLS.

Search and Menus: On every page, you will find three menus labeled "Tests," "Conditions," and "Screening" that will take you directly to any article in these three libraries. If you don't find what you are looking for in the libraries, we recommend that you use the site Search tool, also located at the top of every page, for a quick and thorough search of the site.

External information and services: Throughout the pages of the site, we include links to other web sites where you can follow up to learn more about specific conditions and their treatments. We also provide links to web services provided by sites other than lab tests. You will find our links to be specific to the context of a particular test description or article. We strive to connect you to well-regarded and trusted sites.

Send Us Your Feedback: Finally, we are very interested in how you are able to make use of lab tests. Please take a moment to send us your comments. It is our goal to respond in the most timely and effective manner to constructive suggestions for improving the site and its content.