About Laboratory Medicine

You and your doctor learn a great deal about your health by testing your blood. Laboratory tests extend the range of your doctor's senses, providing information which cannot be seen, heard or touched by the doctor.

A normal test result can be just as important as an abnormal result. It helps rule out disease, as well as establish a baseline "normal" for you. A person's own result is the best baseline for monitoring any change that takes place in the future. An abnormal result may show up even when you feel fine. For this reason, laboratory tests are often used by physicians as part of your physical exam.

Tests support the findings of a physical exam and enable your doctor to make a diagnosis that may otherwise be missed.

At the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) Laboratory Department, our goal is to make your visit with us as pleasant as possible. The department is made up of technicians and technologists who analyze bodily fluids and cells using sophisticated equipment. They perform a wide range of duties, such as testing for drug levels in the blood to see how a patient is responding to treatment, looking for various microorganisms, analyzing chemical content of fluids and matches blood for transfusions. These results are then passed on to PAMF physicians. Our lab team is vital in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease.

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