By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    What Are the Benefits of CBD?
    November 27, 2021
    How to Measure Adult Diapers- The Ultimate Guide to Picking the Right Size
    March 8, 2022
    medicine cabinet
    The Effect Of Finished Dosage Form Manufacturing In New Drugs
    July 5, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Tooth Decay Marielaina Perrone DDS
    Is Your Child’s Education Affected By Tooth Decay?
    December 13, 2012
    Image
    Millions of Americans Could Lose ACA Subsidies
    July 21, 2014
    Image
    IVF: The Three Biggest Myths
    March 22, 2013
    Latest News
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: How Rapid Blood Testing Solves Blood Lab Wait Time Issues
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Diagnostics > How Rapid Blood Testing Solves Blood Lab Wait Time Issues
DiagnosticsTechnology

How Rapid Blood Testing Solves Blood Lab Wait Time Issues

Sean Mallon
Last updated: January 15, 2021 7:02 pm
Sean Mallon
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

In early November 2020, Steven Hill* experienced a concerning and prolonged bout of nausea, weakness, and a host of other symptoms that sent him to the emergency room. After administering fluids via IV and performing an EKG that revealed no discernible cause, emergency room physicians began to suspect that low blood sugar and dehydration may have played a role in Steven’s illness. Once he showed signs of improvement, Steven was released with instructions to undergo a full blood panel with his primary care provider the next day. 

In agreement with the initial assessment of the emergency, Steven’s physician ordered a comprehensive metabolic panel to test for numerous conditions, including Type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, some four weeks later, he is still awaiting the panel results, seriously inhibiting his ability to make informed decisions about the food he eats. Worse, without proper instructions regarding his diet or any potential alternative diagnoses that may await him, Steven is at increased risk for the return of the very same symptoms that sent him to the emergency room in the first place.

Why Do Blood Test Results Take So Long?

While Steven’s case appears to be extreme, it isn’t unusual for blood test results to take days or weeks to return. How is it possible to wait so long for results when a blood draw takes 5 to 10 minutes to achieve? For the most part, time to results depends on the nature of the test and the availability of a lab to process the sample. 

Many hospitals have a lab on site to handle the vast majority of common blood work, including these frequently processed blood tests: 

More Read

Ablation in Ischemic Stroke
Healthcare Technology is Improving the Way We Sleep
Now – A New Non-Surgical Treatment for HPV
High Quality, Low Cost HealthCare Video Interview Series: Dr David Delaney From SAP Talks Data
A “Takeover” of Healthcare…Really?
  • Complete blood counts (CBC) give total white and red blood cell counts as well as hemoglobin counts. This is important to pay attention to, since blood tests are very important for healthcare.
  • Basic metabolic panels provide information about a patient’s metabolism, blood glucose, kidney health, electrolytes, and more.
  • Complete metabolic panels return results for all components of the basic panel plus protein, albumin, calcium, and more, to reveal kidney and liver health.
  • Lipid panels measure the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

When a lab is on site, most of the above panels can be returned between one and three days later. However, without access to a lab, physicians must send samples away for processing, which can add days or even a week to patient results. Other, less common tests are routinely sent to off-site labs and thus take longer to return. 

Rapid Blood Testing as a Solution

Fortunately, technological advances are now in place to reduce wait times for many patients across the country. With rapid blood testing, patients are no longer forced to wait weeks or even days for routine lab results, instead receiving test results at the point of care. Better yet, most rapid testing requires less blood than does traditional testing. So, how does it work? 

In most cases, care providers utilize a benchtop instrument that performs multiple tests per sample. This eliminates the need to send blood samples to external labs and wait an extended time for their return. Further, utilizing comprehensive rapid testing for the most common panels could free lab technicians from performing other testing, spreading the time savings to other patients. 

Benefits of Rapid Testing

Many patients stand to see the advantages that stem from receiving blood testing at the point of care rather than weeks later. In particular, patients can benefit from earlier diagnoses and begin taking steps toward treating and preventing symptoms. In turn, physicians can focus treatment on the condition of concern, rather than spending days or weeks issuing precautions against multiple diseases. These blood tests can also be good for identifying HIV and other diseases.

Generally speaking, patients deserve to learn the results of blood testing as soon as possible to make more informed decisions regarding their health. As more facilities gain access to rapid blood testing, cases like Steven’s should become a thing of the past.

TAGGED:healthcare labsrapid blood testingwait times
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Vancouver Convention Centre
eHealthTechnology

Big Distances Make the Case for Telemedicine: Recap from the Canadian E-Health Conference

June 15, 2014
Vital Connect HealthPatch MD
Diagnostics

Monitoring for Deteriorating Conditions

January 27, 2016

New Bluetooth 4.0 Heart Rate Belt Will Monitor Heart Rates

June 10, 2011
biomedical products for senior health
eHealthGeriatricsMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsMobile HealthTechnologyWellness

Enhancing the “Coolness Factor” in Our Later Years

June 24, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?