Medicine
There can be major issues with inaccurate medical tests. Even routine medical tests can be subject to inaccurate results causing both physical and psychological harm to patients.
Getting a nonroutine medical test can be scary. First, you have to wait to see what the test results are. If they come back positive, this can lead to a gamut of additional medical tests and procedures. The time it takes to get test results varies as well. Additionally, there are major issues with inaccurate medical tests. Even routine medical tests can be subject to inaccurate results causing both physical and psychological harm to patients.
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Major Problems With Inaccurate Testing
Medical tests results are relatively simple to skew and sometimes this is not done intentionally. For example, cholesterol results can be altered by diuretics, corticosteroids, antibiotics and estrogen. Fecal occult tests can be slanted if you eat turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, bananas, beets, melons, radishes or if you take iron and vitamin C. Maintaining good communication with your physician is important in getting the most accurate medical test possible.Another problem with inaccurate medical testing is that it often leads to unnecessary medical procedures, including surgeries or even abortions. Sometimes medical tests do not meet Food and Drug Administration requirements, which can also lead to inaccurate test results.
“Patients have been demonstrably harmed or may have been harmed by tests that did not meet FDA requirements,” federal investigators concluded in a report to Congress last week.
The FDA and the Obama administration are suggesting new standards for laboratories that conduct medical testing. This is due in part to inaccurate medical testing. Twenty cases were evaluated to determine why false-positives were occurring for conditions ranging from cancer to Lyme disease. In one case, investigators discovered that a false-positive blood test led to the removal of a patient’s ovaries.
Part of the issue is regulating the test kits that laboratories use. Some single-use tests don’t fall under FDA guidelines, which is a suggested change under these new standards. These regulatory adjustments must be made in order to support the movement toward personalized medicines based on genetic and other testing.
What to Know Before You Get a Test
You are paying for the tests your doctor orders. Make sure you know which laboratory does your tests and how the tests are processed, because testing equipment can be affected by its environment. A pipette delivers fluid during laboratory testing, and calibrating the pipettes properly ensures a valid medical test. Laboratories that use off-site calibration diminish the chances that environmental forces can contaminate your sample, leading to a false-positive or false-negative. You also need to understand that the level of regulation of laboratories is limited and this alone can cause issues with accuracy of medical tests. In fact, by law, laboratories that perform medical testing cannot be routinely inspected. Government officials recognize this as a weakness in the health care delivery system and are working to make adjustments to this approach. As a consumer, you should request a second test and get a second opinion prior to undergoing medical treatments.
Also, pay attention to how your health care provider presents your test results and uses them to develop your plan of care. If you see the results of the test and they don’t make sense, speak up. Make sure your provider explains each test result item to you fully and that you feel a level of comfort with the results and your treatment plan.
The medical world is a complex place. Tests are used in diagnosis and treatment decisions by medical professionals at large. Understanding how your specimen will be tested and that there is a chance for a false-positive or false-negative can help better inform you as you navigate the health care delivery system.
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