We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Procedures

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Blood Testing?

Mary McMahon
By
Updated: Mar 03, 2024
Views: 11,910
Share

Blood testing is a form of medical testing in which the blood is screened to provide information about a patient's condition. Blood contains a tremendous amount of highly useful information about what is going on inside the body. There are a wide range of reasons to order blood testing, ranging from a blood workup in a hospital used as part of the diagnostic process to a routine STI screening requested by a patient who is concerned that he or she may have been exposed to sexually transmitted infections.

In blood testing, a sample of blood drawn with a needle from a vein or with a bloodstick on a finger is subjected to testing in the laboratory. Blood samples taken from a vein can be spun in a centrifuge to separate out the different blood components for a complete blood count (CBC), in which the levels of various blood components are determined. They can also be subjected to an array of tests; sometimes multiple vials are drawn to provide an ample supply of blood for testing.

Blood can be subjected to tests which reveal the presence of viral infection and provide a viral load count, indicating how many copies of the virus are present in the blood. Testing can also be used to check hormone levels, which may be used to diagnose various hormone imbalances, to monitor the progress of hormone therapy, or to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant. A blood test can also be used to check glucose levels, as in the fingersticks which some people with diabetes perform to check their blood sugar, and to check cholesterol levels, the amount of medication in the blood, levels of various minerals in the blood, and to assess enzyme levels in liver function tests.

Blood testing is also used in blood matching, a process which is used to determine blood types. It is important to know a patient's blood type when he or she donates or receives blood, and more extensive matching is conducted for organ transplants to find the best match. If someone's blood is not a match, severe complications can occur during transfusion or organ donation.

Some medical facilities have an in house lab which can do blood testing on the spot and return results very quickly. In other cases, it may be necessary to ship blood samples to a laboratory off site. Blood test results are presented in the form of a written report which provides numerical values and any comments from the laboratory technician, and they are kept in a patient's file. As a general rule, if blood results are unremarkable, a doctor will not call the patient. Patients who are curious can ask to have their results explained.

Share
The Health Board is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a The Health Board researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

Learn more
Share
https://www.thehealthboard.com/what-is-blood-testing.htm
Copy this link
The Health Board, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

The Health Board, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.