“We’re going to run some tests on you.” Sound familiar? Well, of course, it does. We often hear our doctors say this about us after admittance to the clinic. But have you ever wondered what he really means by that? Understanding hematology blood test results starts with knowing what doctors do with the blood samples you provide them with.
First, these blood samples, urine, and other body substances are sent to the medical laboratory where they are processed, tested, and analyzed by the technical and professional staff. Afterward, a report of the results is then sent to your physician who, in turn, will study the findings in order to evaluate your health status.
Collecting Your Blood for Testing
In understanding hematology blood test results, you need to know that the first step is the collection of blood from you. This is either done by your doctor or a nurse. Sometimes, a technician or a phlebotomist will draw your blood, usually from a vein or artery of your arm. Since there may be different types of hematology tests to be done, several tubes of blood may be needed.
After the sample is collected from you, the doctor stores it in a container that is labeled with your name and either your birth date or medical record number. Your name and either of these two numbers is very important since after the correct tests are done, the results would have to be reported to the right patient.
How Your Blood is Processed
The next step in understanding hematology blood test results is to know how your blood is processed. Most hospitals keep a log of all the samples brought to their laboratories. They keep it in a computer database for records purposes and easy retrieval later when the results have been released.
There are all sorts of machines used to process your blood sample. In some cases, the liquid portion of blood is separated from the cells to prepare it for testing. The one who performs the testing will be the laboratory staff.
Testing Your Blood
When it comes to understanding hematology blood test results, it should be noted that the testing process moves through six areas of the laboratory, including chemistry, hematology, microbiology, virology, immunology, or molecular diagnostics, and blood bank (transfusion services).
Each of these areas addresses a particular aspect of your blood sample that may provide a clue as to a patient’s condition. Thus, understanding hematology blood test results do not always involve only hematology but also embraces all aspects of the blood test, even as some tests may not always include all six tests.
Reporting
Only after the tests are done where the real work in understanding hematology blood test results come in. As mentioned, the results will be reported back to the physician who then reviews and enters it into the hospital computer system.
