Medical laboratories
A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient as pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
The medical laboratory, also called the clinical laboratory or the pathology laboratory, provides diagnostic testing services for physicians to help identify the cause of disease and changes produced in the body by disease conditions. Medical laboratories are classified as either clinical pathology laboratories, which analyze blood, urine, culture products, and other body fluids; or anatomical (or surgical) pathology laboratories, which analyze tissue or organ samples obtained during surgery or autopsy and cervical and body fluid samples obtained by biopsy or lavage. A typical hospital medical laboratory will be called the Department of Pathology (investigation of disease-related processes) and will offer both types of testing. Medical laboratories of various sizes, offering a variety of testing services, can be found in acute-care hospitals, medical centers, doctor's offices and group practices, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term care facilities. Commercial medical laboratories operate as independent businesses and serve as testing facilities for physicians and for companies engaged in medical or pharmaceutical research. Additional commercial laboratories that specialize in a specific type of testing such as genetic, drug, and fertility testing also serve the medical community. Reference laboratories are often established by universities, state governments, organizations, and companies to provide more comprehensive testing or to perform more difficult tests not needed routinely.
Medical laboratory science, or medical technology, is an important part of diagnostic medicine. It uses sophisticated instruments and methods to evaluate hundreds of body processes that occur constantly as body organs do their work. Combinations of laboratory tests are needed to help diagnose a patient's condition. Clinical pathology evaluates disease by identifying (qualitative testing) and measuring (quantitative testing) chemical substances found in blood, urine, spinal fluid, sputum, feces, and other body fluids. Bacteria and sometimes viruses are grown and identified in culture products (samples of blood, urine, sputum, wounds, etc. that are |
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transferred onto culture media and incubated until they grow enough to be identified). Biochemical substances such as hormones, enzymes, minerals, and other chemicals produced in the body can be measured, as well as chemicals ingested (eaten with food or consumed as medications or poisons) or produced as waste products.
Doctors order laboratory tests to make, confirm, or rule out a diagnosis, to select or monitor therapy (drugs, physical therapy, surgery, etc.), to monitor a patient's progress during therapy and help determine a prognosis for the patient. A single test is usually not enough to confirm a diagnosis. Combinations of laboratory tests are used along with the patient's history, physical examination, and diagnostic imaging exams to make a definitive diagnosis. Laboratory screening tests are often performed on apparently healthy patients to make sure they have no underlying disease. Test profiles are also designed that combine a series of related tests (such as a hematology profile or chemistry profile) or organ-related tests (such as a cardiac profile, liver profile, or thyroid profile) to get a broad view of a patient's condition. More specific testing is usually required to make a definitive diagnosis.
Post-reading Stage.
- Skim through the text and find the sentences containing the words “laboratory” and “testing”, translate them.
- In Pairs. Check that you understand the text by asking your partner the following questions:
What is a medical laboratory?
How are the medical laboratories classified?
What laboratory analizes blood, urine, culture products and other body fluids?
What does a typical hospital laboratory offer?
How does the commercial medical laboratories operate?
Why do we need different combinations of laboratory tests?
Describe the link between doctors and laboratories.
Is a single test enough to confirm a diagnosis?
Organize the words to make up collocations:
Clinical, service, disease, body, medical, biochemical, facilities, condition, laboratory, testing, nursing, technology, substance.