4 ms·

I order blood tests from my doctor, a couple days later I get the results with two sentences, probably pre selected from the app they use. The doctor adds no va

by NoPiece 11y ago

I order blood tests from my doctor, a couple days later I get the results with two sentences, probably pre selected from the app they use. The doctor adds no value, but creates costs.

firebones 11y ago
You're lucky then. Congrats. Not so simple for others.
neuro_imager 11y ago
This is extremely simplistic logic. (I'm a physician). Blood tests vary from very simple to extremely complex, extremely reliable to extremely variable and requiring no further action (as in your case) to requiring multiple possible further decisions. Understanding the results of multiple medical blood tests requires some knowledge of multiple subjects including biochemistry, chemical pathology, microbiology and immunology. There's also the question of what to do next - do you repeat the test, get additional blood tests, get other tests (such as radiology or biopsies) and most critically do you actually have a diagnosis and do you need treatment? (If so, what?) Then there's the issue of false positives and false negatives which most people get wrong (especially if you're in a low prevalence population). So yeah, I like to think we still add value.
dikdik 11y ago
I worked for a medical lab and a large part of my job was double checking that the doc selected the correct macro. For some stuff a large amount of interpretation is needed, for a simple PCR test it is not needed 99.99% of the time. The possible interpretations have already been entered and the doc selects one based on the result. It could be automated, but against the law since the doc has to do it. There is that 0.01% chance that something else is going on and the doc will pick up on it when seeing other results/patient history and will end up writing additional interpretation or something very different. However, that result is rarely seen by a patient. It goes back to the treating physician who then reads it and interprets it himself and uses to guide treatment.

by NoPiece 11y ago

I order blood tests from my doctor, a couple days later I get the results with two sentences, probably pre selected from the app they use. The doctor adds no value, but creates costs.

firebones 11y ago

You're lucky then. Congrats. Not so simple for others.

neuro_imager 11y ago

This is extremely simplistic logic. (I'm a physician). Blood tests vary from very simple to extremely complex, extremely reliable to extremely variable and requiring no further action (as in your case) to requiring multiple possible further decisions. Understanding the results of multiple medical blood tests requires some knowledge of multiple subjects including biochemistry, chemical pathology, microbiology and immunology. There's also the question of what to do next - do you repeat the test, get additional blood tests, get other tests (such as radiology or biopsies) and most critically do you actually have a diagnosis and do you need treatment? (If so, what?) Then there's the issue of false positives and false negatives which most people get wrong (especially if you're in a low prevalence population). So yeah, I like to think we still add value.

dikdik 11y ago

I worked for a medical lab and a large part of my job was double checking that the doc selected the correct macro. For some stuff a large amount of interpretation is needed, for a simple PCR test it is not needed 99.99% of the time. The possible interpretations have already been entered and the doc selects one based on the result. It could be automated, but against the law since the doc has to do it. There is that 0.01% chance that something else is going on and the doc will pick up on it when seeing other results/patient history and will end up writing additional interpretation or something very different. However, that result is rarely seen by a patient. It goes back to the treating physician who then reads it and interprets it himself and uses to guide treatment.