LabTalk with Isaac

A patient’s urine hCG test came strongly positive. But the pelvic ultrasound ordered by the doctor shows no intrauterine pregnancy.
The urine test is repeated on a fresh sample. Same result: strongly positive, ultrasound shows nothing in the uterus.
As a Medical Laboratory Scientist or Technician, what would you do next?
Let’s discuss the correct laboratory approach. Share your answer in the comments! 👇

Today I received a patient with a fever. The doctor requested for a Widal test. I did the test and It came “positive.” The patient was put put on antibiotics.
One problem: he had malaria three weeks earlier.
Here’s what almost nobody tells patients — the Widal test can turn positive from a past malaria infection, from old exposure to typhoid you never even got sick from, or from several other bacteria that look similar to it. It’s not testing for the bacteria itself. It’s testing for antibodies, and in places like ours, most adults are walking around with some antibody level in their blood just from living here.
So is the test useless? No. It’s cheap, it’s fast, and in a lot of our clinics it’s the only thing available. But “positive” doesn’t always mean what patients think it means.
Question for you: if you tested positive on a Widal test, would you ask your clinician for a confirmatory test — or take the result at face value? 👇

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to my weekly engagement list! 🎉

Gibo Lantos, Adeniran Aliu Adewale, Kevin Kirui, SH Muhammad, Idah Mulenga, Criticalthinker K C Brown, Lawal Attahir, Allan Mwale, Opio Charles, Larry Steward

Let's settle this today!
Who should be responsible for withdrawing blood from patients?
💉 Nurses?
🧪 Laboratory Technicians/Scientists?
Tell us:
What happens at your facility?
What do your hospital policies say?
Which approach do you think is best for patient care?
👇 Drop your profession and country in the comments!

A patient presents with chronic diarrhoea. Stool microscopy shows no ova, cysts, or parasites. I then run a Giardia stool antigen test, and it came positive.
I repeated both tests. Same result: microscopy negative, antigen test positive.
As a Medical Laboratory Scientist or Technician, what would you do next?
Let’s discuss the correct laboratory approach. Share your answer in the comments! 👇


LabTalk with Isaac

If you could only keep ONE blood collection tube in your laboratory, which one would it be?

A patient’s fasting blood sugar (FBS) comes back normal at 5.2 mmol/L. But their HbA1c comes back elevated, consistent with poor glycaemic control over the past 3 months.
You repeat both tests on a fresh sample. Same result: FBS normal, HbA1c high.
As a Medical Laboratory Scientist or Technician, what would you do next?
Let’s discuss the correct laboratory approach. Share your answer in the comments! 👇

A patient presents with chronic diarrhoea. Stool microscopy shows no ova, cysts, or parasites. You then run a Giardia stool antigen test, and it comes back positive.
You repeat both tests. Same result: microscopy negative, antigen test positive.
As a Medical Laboratory Scientist or Technician, what would you do next?
Let’s discuss the correct laboratory approach. Share your answer in the comments! 👇

A patient on gentamicin has a trough level come back unexpectedly high. The pharmacist checks the prescription and dosing schedule — everything looks correct on paper.
As a Pharmacist or Lab Scientist, what are the possible explanations, and whose job is it to investigate further — pharmacy, nursing, or the lab?
Let’s discuss the correct approach. Share your answer in the comments! 👇

A nurse is about to draw blood for an HIV test as part of a routine pre-op panel, but the patient was never specifically told this test would be included.
As a Nurse, Doctor, or Lab Scientist, whose responsibility is it to ensure informed consent was obtained before the sample reaches the lab?
Let’s discuss the correct approach. Share your answer in the comments! 👇