Lab Results

Sometimes your doctor needs to take a sample of blood or urine either to discover what is wrong with you or to measure something in your blood so that the right medication is given to you. These tests could be anything from blood sugar to a full blood count or a sample of tissue to test for cancer.

While urine can generally be tested in the surgery, blood and other specimens are usually sent away for testing at a laboratory. Most results come back within 48 hours unless a very rare test is needed which has to go to a specialist lab further away when it might take a little longer.

All incoming lab results are read by the doctor requesting them or their assigned locum.

It is not routine for a patient to be contacted if their results are normal.

If the result is not normal the doctor or practice nurse will contact the patient in a timely manner (within 48hrs).

If the result requires follow-up a task is set to remind the doctor or it is set as a recall.

If the result is a product of a routine recall than the recall is appropriately adjusted i.e. as for cervical smears, colonoscopies, mammograms etc.