A Medical Lab or a Clinical lab carries out tests based on the clinical specimens collected from a patient to check on the health of a patient to aid in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. When your Doctor prescribes a lab test, he or she doesn’t usually direct you to a particular lab. So, now the ball is in your court and you can choose a lab where your tests have to be carried out. It’s quite sure most of us do a small research to find the right lab.

I would like to draw your due diligence first in ensuring the medical lab you choose is accredited. The decisions regarding a patient’s diagnosis and treatment, hospital admission and discharge are based on laboratory test results. If your lab results are wrong, the consequences can be dangerous, sometimes you will have to pay your life for it. The laboratory shall be completely separated from outside areas. Having enclosed laboratories will help contain spills, keep unauthorized personnel from entering areas where hazardous operations are performed.

Probably the next important factor when choosing a testing laboratory is their expertise and capability to expertly and accurately test your product. Since your future treatment or diagnosis depends completely on the lab report make sure you can totally rely on it. You might be confused how can you ensure it, right? It is not a big deal talking to the salesperson the main person of contact. If you are still worried or you have more in-depth questions it is okay to clear your doubts with your Laboratorian. If you find them helpful you can get ready for your test.

Maintaining a clean and orderly environment and employing good disinfection practices are vital as well. A cluttered workspace and an area contaminated with biohazards threaten the safety of both employees and visitors. Before carrying out your test cross-check tools like syringes are fresh and they are unpacked before you. When you walk-in you would automatically experience the hygiene maintained in the laboratory along with the advanced technologies and amenities provided.

Next, obviously you need a lab that can perform a specific test for this specific project, but most of us don’t even have a glance at the other services provided by the lab. It isn’t important, that’s true. But on the other hand, if you have a look at the other services provided in the lab it would help you in the future. It adds convenience working with the same lab on multiple or varied projects. You’re in their system; they know you and your preferences, and you know them and how they work. It’s an all-around win-win.

Consumers share their experiences all the time. Do a quick search on Facebook or Google to see what people are saying about the lab you’re researching or you can even take your friend’s or relative’s word. Your doctor or his or her staff might also be able to guide you in the right direction of a good lab, but you need to remember to double-check. An important aspect of laboratory operation is the need to maintain good co-operation with their healthcare customers, so a laboratory uses the most suitable examination methods and equipment for patient care.

Another detail that will make a big impact on your overall experience with a lab is their report output and turnaround time. You should make sure the report you are going to collect is accurate and reliable for the future treatment and diagnosis. Once you are done sorting out with choosing the laboratory and giving the specimens for the test, the next headache would be collecting the reports. The traceability of examination results is important so that they are comparable and also enable long-term patient monitoring. Waiting is stressful. As we move on the wheels of technology now, we are less patient for many things. So do make sure the lab you choose has the option to create an online patient portal that posts lab results. If it doesn’t, it may still be possible to have the lab send results to you and your doctor at the same time. Either way, you’ll have to do some work in advance to ensure you get your results faster.

Cost is an important factor, but our advice is not to let it be your main determinant. Often expertise, time to market and additional services will save you not only time and be more convenient. Keep all these things in your head before choosing a medical lab. Because a simple test can change your life.