Find a test result and read its parts
Find a result in your record, read its parts in the right order, and ask the one question that gets it explained.
Your results are visible to you now, often within days. That is a good change, and it comes with one honest difficulty: the screen was not written for you.
A results entry is a lab’s report to a clinician. The only part composed with you in mind is the comment beside it. Everything else is measurement, and measurement without the person who ordered it is only numbers.
Key points
- Find a result in your record and open it without altering anything
- Read the comment first, and treat the figures as working rather than answer
- Know that a blank comment usually means a waiting list rather than a verdict
- Ask about one by naming the test and the date
What to remember
- The comment is the part written to you. The rest is the laboratory talking to a clinician.
- A blank comment is a waiting list, not a verdict. The office can tell you which in one phone call.
- The same four steps whether the result looks dull or frightening.
Try this
Find the most recent result in your own record. Do not interpret it — practice finding the test name and the date, which are what you would read out.
Practice: Find a test result and read its parts. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.