joondarrou3 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 I am a relatively new grad and the thing that I struggle with the most is interpreting lab values. Does anyone have any good resources that might be helpful? What I am looking for is more of an algorithmic approach to interpreting results (ie, if the result is elevated by 10 points then observe, if it is elevated by 20 points then recheck, if it is elevated by 30 points then order these tests). I have done hours of research trying to find resources and have found a few AAFP articles as well as Clinician's Guide to Laboratory Medicine by Desai which have been somewhat helpful but I still struggle and ask my colleagues' opinions a lot of the time. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 Labs in general aren’t conducive to an algorithm. Remember that “normal” is generally picked because 95% of patient values fell within that range. So, if you collect more than a couple of tests, the odds are good that at least one will be a little high or a little low. Couple your lab assessment with clinical judgment. That takes time, but you should be trying to correlate lab findings with symptoms and physical findings. That is a central skill in internal medicine. I use epocrates essentials with the lab module. It is a convenient tool to aid in interpretation of what high or low values might mean. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newton9686 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 The biggest thing to interpreting labs is the clinical picture. For example 40 old male alcoholic, showed up intoxicated, normal vitals with a lactic of 9 versus a 72 y/o altered female with “dirty urine” and a blood pressure of 72/42 and a lactic of 9 are two TOTALLY DIFFERENT patients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlottew Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Also if you are following a patient serially, the trend in the lab values can sometimes be more important than the absolute single value. When I round on my critical care inpatients, I always write down/note what the prior value was, as well as the current value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas5814 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 One of the few things I love about our EHR is the ability to create a flow chart on nearly any value. It really helps paint a complete picture. I agree context is king in determining the significance of labs. That said there are easily searchable reference for determining "normal" values but , as stated, what an abnormal value means is tough to quantify sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted May 9, 2019 Moderator Share Posted May 9, 2019 I have seen UpToDate has a section on it... never actually used it but UTD is usually good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.