Reviews of previous editions:

“This is a really useful book for midwives. I expected it to be a textbook which I could recommend to students—and indeed that is true. However, when I picked this up I realised how useful it can be qualified staff, no matter how familiar the topics may be to those in practice … . I would recommend this for any team or ward reference library.” (Practising Midwife, January 2009)

“If you have not come across this book before then I would certainly recommend this new improved edition.” (Heather Jarman in Accident and Emergency Nursing, Volume 15, 2007)

The purpose of this third edition of Understanding Laboratory Investigations is to help nurses, midwives and healthcare professionals to better understand how the work of clinical laboratories contributes to patient care. It answers the following questions:

• Why is this test being ordered on my patient?
• What sort of sample is required?
• How is that sample obtained?

And most importantly:

• What is the significance of the test result for my patient?

Retaining its accessible and user-friendly style, the aim of this book remains the same: to provide nurses with as much relevant information as possible about the most commonly requested laboratory tests. This is not a book about laboratory technique – its focus is on the clinical significance of test results, and therefore the patient. The third edition is more comprehensive in terms of the number of tests discussed, it now includes more paediatric content and also colour to aid the accessibility.

Key features

• Includes a glossary of terms commonly used in laboratory medicine
• Discusses the tests most commonly requested and likely to be encountered by nurses
• Of use to nurses as well as other healthcare workers and students of biomedical sciences interested in pursuing a career in laboratory medicine
• third edition includes a brand new chapter on neonatal screening as well as discussion of tests not previously covered in earlier editions
• Now includes more case studies designed to illustrate the practical clinical use of the test being discussed

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