Lab Tests Online Australasia

This web site is a resource where people can find up-to-date lab testing information which is important to the understanding and management of their health

The Lab Tests Online Australasia website is funded by a grant from the Quality Use of Pathology Program of the Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra.

Information on laboratory testing is not always available or easily obtained, and if found, it is sometimes does not answer the questions asked by patients and their families. Lab Tests Online-AU aims to change all that and answer these questions in a simple and understandable way.

This web site is a resource where people can find that up-to-date laboratory testing information which is important to the understanding and management of their health, or the health of someone close to them. Our focus is on clinical laboratory tests and those topics that relate to them. On this site you will find the following:

Test descriptions
At the core of the site is a library of tests that will explain why a test might be performed and how its results might be used. We also explain what kind of sample, or specimen is required to perform the test and we provide answers to some commonly asked questions.

Conditions
The site also includes a library of conditions and diseases that are briefly described and linked to the tests that are typically used for each.

Screening guide
With a few exceptions like the cervical screening programme, there is little consensus on preventative screening. Many organisations have weighed in on the subject, but in the end, screening is a matter between you and your doctor. We have collected recommendations from a wide range of organisations to help get you started.

News
Advances in technology are having a tremendous impact on clinical laboratory testing. From refinements in clinical research to development of more home testing devices and kits to the promises of Internet technologies (enabling such things as this web site), there is a lot going on in this field that has a direct effect on you, the patient. We will attempt to summarise news from key sources to keep you up to date.

In-depth articles
What is a reference range? And how does it affect you? These and other important questions are examined and answered in a set of articles and will help you better understand your tests.

The laboratory
This part of the health care infrastructure is a mystery to most patients. We try to pull back the curtains a bit to show you what real-world wizardry occurs inside the laboratory because without it, many diagnoses would be reduced to guesswork, and early detection and prevention of numerous conditions could not occur. We hope that these pages help you feel better about being tested, and give you an appreciation for work of so many people hidden behind the doors of the laboratory.