If you’ve received a vaccination, a diagnosis from a blood test, or treatment for a disease, you’ve benefited from a medical lab. There are many different medical laboratories and professionals, each with their own role to play in diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases. Medical labs are proficient in safely handling and securing the samples and materials that allow them to run tests, diagnose problems, and find the most effective treatment solutions. From the clinical laboratories that run blood or urine tests to the pathologists who study the very nature of diseases, here are three reasons why medical labs are important.

Diagnosing Patients

Clinical labs play a major role in diagnosing patients. The labs study and run tests on samples of blood, urine, and tissue to find any abnormalities or symptoms of disease. These tests provide invaluable information in both diagnostic processes and regular screenings. Clinical labs can catch early warning signs of potentially life-threatening diseases, giving physicians and patients alike more time to find the treatment they need.

Improving Patient Care

In addition to diagnosing issues, medical laboratories are also responsible for finding the best treatment and care methods possible. By continuously collecting information about a patient and their treatment, lab workers can help inform doctors about the best solutions moving forward. Accurate and timely lab tests help monitor the effectiveness of a patient’s current treatment as well as any negative side effects that may occur. These tests can also help identify the cause of infection, giving doctors a better idea of how to combat the disease. When medical labs monitor a patient’s treatment plan, doctors can continue to adjust their care to best fit that patient.

Researching Diseases

One of the reasons why medical labs are important is because of the crucial role they play in pathology, which is the study of disease. Even without helping specific patients, medical labs continue to work behind the scenes to research diseases and develop effective treatments. Medical research labs allow doctors to better understand where diseases come from, how they spread and affect the body, and what the best treatment options are. This knowledge helps us control the spread of disease, treat infected patients, and develop vaccines to prevent the disease in the future.