Letters: In health care, lab testing is critical

ISSUE | HEALTH CARE

Lab testing tips

An estimated 70 percent of health-care decisions depend on medical laboratory testing, which makes this week, National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, an appropriate time to share some tips on how to be an informed patient when getting a lab test:

Adhere to dietary or fasting instructions before the test to ensure accurate results.

Ask whether the tests will be run in an accredited laboratory. Federal regulators monitor the accuracy and reliability of medical laboratory testing. Accredited labs have demonstrated that the quality of their testing meets or exceeds federal requirements.

Ask your doctor what your test results mean. The complexity of a lab report, coupled with information online, can be confusing. Be sure you understand what the results mean for you and your health.

|Dr. Walter Klein, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, and

Dr. Roseann Wu, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia