Module 5: Pathology and Laboratory Services

Welcome to Pathology and Laboratory Services!

Pathology reports consist of microscopic and/or macroscopic (gross) description of tissue removed from a patient during surgery, or other specialized procedures (e.g.- biopsy). A request for tissue examination is sent to the pathologist for analysis to help establish a clinical diagnosis for the patient. Laboratory reports consist of various types of analyses of body substances such as blood, urine, stool, and sputum to help identify a clinical diagnosis, as well. Laboratory tests can be ordered via computer, results can be charted via computer, and computer systems routinely generate a summary of all the laboratory tests performed on a patient to quickly identify and compare the results to normal or abnormal ranges or values. Many laboratory tests are also totally computerized, and many laboratory systems have expert systems designed for sequential laboratory testing and interpretation that can help facilitate quality monitoring.