CHEM 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Blood Test, Standard Deviation, Analyte
17 Oct 2015
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Laboratory data interpretation: how to estimate the 3s range for the reference interval. You have heard in the chemistry lab that reference intervals are a bit subjective, particularly concerning patient results falling between 2s-3s of the mean. Part of this grey zone is due to the fact that we calculate reference intervals based on mean + 2s (the empirical rule) capturing 95% of all values normally distributed about the mean. This leaves 5% of values that are still considered normal" but will fall outside the reference interval. Interpretation of your patient data on your patient reports needs to take this consideration into account. When you report your test(s), you use the up/down arrows for each analyte falling outside the reference interval. If your patient result is between 2-3s, you can comment that your patient would still be considered to be normal" (and explain why)
