The preanalytical phase is an important component of Laboratory medicine and errors arising in this phase affect the validity of laboratory results. In this book physicians and clinical staff have access to valuable information about the current preanalytical variables and factors (patient preparation, sample collection, handling and processing before analysis).
The preanalytical phase is an important component of Laboratory medicine and errors arising in this phase affect the validity of laboratory results. In this book physicians and clinical staff have access to valuable information about the current preanalytical variables and factors (patient preparation, sample collection, handling and processing before analysis).
Nursing-focused and easy-to-read, this manual delivers all of the information you need to understand how tests work, interpret their results, and provide quality patient care—pre-test, intra-test, and post-test. Tests and procedures are listed in alphabetical order by their complete names for quick reference. The integrated index allows fast searches by abbreviation, synonym, disease/disorder, specimen type, or test classification. Plus, a Body Systems Appendix includes a list of common laboratory and diagnostic tests for each body system as well as nutrition-related lab tests.
Up to date and easy to navigate, Fischbach’s A Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests, 11th Edition, details an extensive array of laboratory and diagnostic tests to prepare nurses and health professionals to deliver safe, effective, informed patient care. This proven manual is organized the way nurses think — by specimen, function, and test type— and provides current, comprehensive, step-by-step guidance on correct procedures, tips for accurate interpretation, and expert information on patient preparation and aftercare.
Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.
This fourth edition of the anthrax guidelines encompasses a systematic review of the extensive new scientific literature and relevant publications up to end 2007 including all the new information that emerged in the 3-4 years after the anthrax letter events. This updated edition provides information on the disease and its importance, its etiology and ecology, and offers guidance on the detection, diagnostic, epidemiology, disinfection and decontamination, treatment and prophylaxis procedures, as well as control and surveillance processes for anthrax in humans and animals. With two rounds of a rigorous peer-review process, it is a relevant source of information for the management of anthrax in humans and animals.
Practical and concise, this manual is a quick, go-to reference for up-to-date clinical material on today's diagnostic testing and laboratory tests. Three convenient sections provide quick access to key information on clinical laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging, and diagnostic algorithms. Experienced author Dr. Fred Ferri uses a unique, easy-to-follow format to simplify complex information and help you choose the best test to supplement your clinical diagnostic skills. - Includes both lab and imaging tests for concise, convenient access to all diagnostic test options for more than 200 common diseases and disorders. - Includes essential information on indications, advantages, disadvantages, approximate costs, normal ranges, typical abnormalities, likeliest causes, and more. - Features a new appendix on when to use contrast agents in ordering CT and MRI scans. - Discusses new modalities including transient elastography (Fibroscan), CT enterography and CT enteroclysis. - Provides new comparison tables to easily evaluate the best test; new algorithms for evaluation of immunodeficiency and hematochezia; and new tables and illustrations throughout to improve your test selection. - Expert ConsultTM eBook version included with purchase. This enhanced eBook experience allows you to search all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.
This open access book collects expert contributions on actuarial modelling and related topics, from machine learning to legal aspects, and reflects on possible insurance designs during an epidemic/pandemic. Starting by considering the impulse given by COVID-19 to the insurance industry and to actuarial research, the text covers compartment models, mortality changes during a pandemic, risk-sharing in the presence of low probability events, group testing, compositional data analysis for detecting data inconsistencies, behaviouristic aspects in fighting a pandemic, and insurers' legal problems, amongst others. Concluding with an essay by a practicing actuary on the applicability of the methods proposed, this interdisciplinary book is aimed at actuaries as well as readers with a background in mathematics, economics, statistics, finance, epidemiology, or sociology.
Get the foundational knowledge you need to successfully work in a real-world, clinical lab with Tietz Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, 8th Edition. From highly respected clinical chemistry expert Nader Rifai, this condensed, easier-to-understand version of the acclaimed Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics uses a laboratory perspective to guide you through selecting and performing diagnostic lab tests and accurately evaluating the results. Coverage includes laboratory principles, analytical techniques, instrumentation, analytes, pathophysiology, and more. This eighth edition features new clinical cases from The Coakley Collection, new questions from The Deacon's Challenge of Biochemical Calculations Collection, plus new content throughout the text to ensure you stay ahead of all the latest techniques, instrumentation, and technologies. - Condensed version of the clinical chemistry "bible" offers the same authoritative and well-presented content in a much more focused and streamlined manner. - Coverage of analytical techniques and instrumentation includes optical techniques, electrochemistry, electrophoresis, chromatography, mass spectrometry, enzymology, immunochemical techniques, microchips, automation, and point of care testing. - Updated chapters on molecular diagnostics cover the principles of molecular biology, nucleic acid techniques and applications, and genomes and nucleic acid alterations, reflecting the changes in this rapidly evolving field. - Learning objectives, key words, and review questions are included in each chapter to support learning. - More than 500 illustrations plus easy-to-read tables help readers better understand and remember key concepts. - NEW! Clinical Cases from The Coakley Collection use real-life scenarios to demonstrate how concepts from the text will come in to play in real life practice. - NEW! Questions from The Deacon's Challenge of Biochemical Calculations Collection help reinforce concepts and help readers' critical thinking skills. - NEW! Updated content throughout the text keeps readers up to date on the latest techniques, instrumentation, and technologies. - NEW! New lead author Nader Rifai lends his expertise as the Director of Clinical Chemistry at Children's Hospital in Boston, the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Clinical Chemistry, and a Professor of Pathology at Harvard University.
