Lab Literacy for Doctors: A Guide to Ordering the Right Tests for Better Patient Care

Choosing wisely for better patient care.

Lab Literacy for Doctors helps you make quick and efficient decisions about the right tests for typical clinical situations, thereby improving patient care.

In a study published by the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (2014-03-01), primary care physicians reported that 15% of the time they are unsure about ordering lab tests and 8% of the time they are unsure about interpreting the results. This raises concerns about the need for more efficient and cost-effective lab test utilization. Lab Literacy for Doctors addresses these concerns in a practical, up-to-date, and easy-to-use format.

Refer to this essential guide for:

• Diagnostic algorithms.
• A quick index summarizing the clinical utility of common tests.
• Advice and information on lab errors, false positives and negatives, and blood and tissue collection.
• Sections on dermatology, ENT and respiratory system, endocrine system, fatigue, GI and hepatic system, gynecology and pregnancy, routine screening, and more.

Christopher Naugler, MD, FRCPC is a diagnostic and clinical pathologist and family physician with wide-ranging research, teaching, and clinical experience. He is a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.

Dr. Ethan Flynn is an anatomic and clinical pathologist with extensive clinical, administrative and teaching experience. He served in the U.S. Navy as program director of the anatomic and clinical pathology residency program at National Naval Medical Center (“the President’s hospital”). He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry (DABCC), fellow of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB), Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Calgary, and is currently the Medical Lead for Clinical Pathology, South Health Campus, Alberta Health Services.