Help with learning lab result interpretation?

well, as with any kind of interpretation, you need to know what is normal and then what the abnormal results might indicate what problem that the patient has. i really believe that as a nursing student a good lab/test reference book will be invaluable to you in doing this. i happen to have an older copy of mosby's diagnostic and laboratory test reference, 4th edition, by kathleen deska pagana and timothy james pagana that was published in 1999. it not only has blood, urine, stool and histology tests in it, but x-ray, nuclear scans, ultrasound studies, various endoscopic procedures, and many other types of diagnostic studies such as holter monitoring, ekgs, eegs, electromyography, blood gases and pulmonary function tests. it tells you what a normal test is, explains what the test is, how it is performed and how to prepare the patient. one of the nice features i like is at the end of many of the tests is a list of the medical conditions that bring about an abnormal or increase/decrease in normal levels. there are other of these reference books on the market and you can go to barnes & noble or amazon websites and do a search for "lab and diagnostic test reference" and that should bring up a list of them for you.

here are websites where you can get online test information. some may have better information about a test or procedure than another, so check each of them if you are looking for something specific. lab tests online is pretty much the tests that are done in a clinical lab. the next two sites also include lab and a host of other diagnostic tests as well. medline plus will have a lot of information about some lab and a lot of diagnostic tests. encyclopedia of surgery will have information about some of the endoscopy and biopsy procedures as well as medline plus:

• lab tests online http://www.labtestsonline.org/
  
• medicine net procedures & tests a to z index http://www.medicinenet.com/procedures_and_tests/article.htm
  
• web md index list of tests http://www.webmd.com/a_to_z_guide/medical_tests.htm
  
• medline plus (use the search box) http://www.medlineplus.gov/
  
• encyclopedia of surgery http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/index.html