Laboratory information enables physicians and other healthcare professionals to make appropriate evidence-based diagnostic or therapeutic decisions for their patients. Clinical laboratory services are the most cost effective, least invasive source of the objective information used in clinical decision-making.
Clinical laboratory services are tests provided by a medical lab that aid in diagnosis and treatment of patients. There are many types of clinical laboratory services, including:
blood count
urinalysis
cholesterol tests
haemoglobin tests
spinal fluid analysis
liver function tests
immunology and allergy testing
diagnostic testing
transfusion medicine
pathology, and
therapeutic drug monitoring
Metabolic markers (blood chemistry) such as glucose, urea, and potassium
Heart disease and heart attack indicators
Thyroid disease markers
Various blood cell counts and blood cell size
Viral and microbial infection such as HIV or H. pylori