Does anyone know why some blood test results take longer than others. I had a blood test on 8/12 and within 30 minutes my results for tsh and t4 were added to my patient portal.
My thyroglobulin results and thyroid antibodies results won't be available until 5/1 and I just wondered why they take so long.
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marmitelover81
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I can't be specific about the tests you refer to, but the labs have analysers set up for a range of standard tests. These will include full blood count, TSH, FT4 and FT3 (or sometimes TT3), and others that are often needed - and frequently required with some urgency.
Other tests might need to be done at a different lab, or they only run the analysis every few days or weeks.
I think you'll find small labs are more likely to have to send the samples to larger labs. Maybe just one lab in an ICB area will perform some more specialised tests?
The is especially obvious with genetic tests which are concentrated in few labs. However, such tests are usually not critically urgent.
If you look for the Pathology Handbook for your local services, they very often list fairly precise turnaround times.
hey, I had 3 tests done recently and one took a week and a half longer than the others. I rang to check if one had been forgotten but I was told it was normal for it to take longer.
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