PRESENTATION OF AN OBSERVED VALUE IN RELATION TO REFERENCE VALUES

PRESENTATION OF AN OBSERVED VALUE IN RELATION TO REFERENCE VALUES 

An observed value (patient s value) may be compared with reference values. This comparison is often similar to hypoth- 

The clinician should always be supplied with as much information about the reference values as he or she needs for the interpretation. Reference intervals for all laboratory tests maybe presented to the physicians in a booklet together with information about the analysis methods, their imprecision, and descriptions of the reference values. The aim must be to present to the physicians enough information for rational clinical judgments. 

In addition, a convenient presentation of an observed value in relation to reference values may be a great help for the busy clinician. 

A more condensed technique is to present the observed value and the reference interval on the same report sheet. The reference intervals maybe preprinted on report forms, or the computer system may select the appropriate age- and gender-specific reference interval from a file and print it next to the test result. This type of presentation can be graphical.  

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