Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Your blood test and the need for better designed results

Lukas Zinnagl, MD
Conditions
January 18, 2011
432 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Either as a patient or as a physician there’s a very high chance that you’ve ever got your hands on a simple blood test.

These range from very basic ones to complex ones with multiple pages and are substantial to any cinlical evaluation. Blood tests are probably one of the most performed tests in a clinical environment with direct patient contact. Also, if you’ve ever seen a typical blood test from the hospital’s laboratory then you’ll notice that they more look like a movie script than an informative medical report. Since the computer arrived in nowadays healthcare the form and design of these reports hardly changed.

Popular tech magazine Wired recently opened up a call for redesigning blood tests. Thinking about the design of ordinary blood tests, might just be one small step for patients but a giant leap for healthcare. They’ve called for new visualizations of common blood test forms and the amazingly skilled people at Information is beautiful won the first prize for Wired’s competition.

The goal was to re-design the report of a simple blood test that evaluated CRP and cholesterol levels. Here’s how the original test result looked like:

And here is how the re-design looks like:

Imagine the possible impact of such a report on patients. It would clearly help get the patient a much clearer picture of their condition and current physical state. The phyiscian’s reward would probably be more of an eye-candy that helps getting through long hospital days, rather than an actual increase in information. Unfortunately the chances of seeing such new approaches any time soon on a large scale remain low.

Lukas Zinnagl is a physician and co-founder of MedCrunch, an online magazine covering health, medicine, entrepreneurship and technology all centered around new trends and the challenge of being a physician.

 

Submit a guest post and be heard on social media’s leading physician voice.

Prev

How often to see your doctor when feeling well

January 17, 2011 Kevin 6
…
Next

Your surgeon may be contemplating suicide

January 18, 2011 Kevin 4
…

Tagged as: Patients, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How often to see your doctor when feeling well
Next Post >
Your surgeon may be contemplating suicide

More by Lukas Zinnagl, MD

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Doctors: Become a key opinion leader using social media

    Lukas Zinnagl, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Google knows more about certain diseases than physicians ever will

    Lukas Zinnagl, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    How a Google printout can strengthen your relationships with patients

    Lukas Zinnagl, MD

More in Conditions

  • Epigenetics and our inheritance to future generations

    Vishruth Nagam
  • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

    Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD
  • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

    Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN
  • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

    Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD
  • 5 things to know about weight from a bariatric surgeon

    Maria Iliakova, MD
  • Physician autonomy and patient interactions in corporate health care

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • 1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Epigenetics and our inheritance to future generations

      Vishruth Nagam | Conditions
    • Practicing medicine with conviction

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • The power of memory in shaping human identity

      Emily F. Peters and Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD | Physician
    • How Tratak yoga reshaped my USMLE Step 2 prep

      Dr. Nikita Mehdiratta | Education
    • Transforming primary care for physician well-being [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 8 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • FDA Relents, Approves Novel Antidepressant After Many Rejections
  • OSHA Comes in for Both Praise and Harsh Criticism at House Hearing
  • New Insight Into Hyperglycemia Risk With PI3K Inhibitor for Breast Cancer
  • Oktoberfest Doctor: Not the Wurst Job You Could Have
  • Blue Shield of California Has Fix for MA Enrollees Worried About Co-Pays

Meeting Coverage

  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • 1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Epigenetics and our inheritance to future generations

      Vishruth Nagam | Conditions
    • Practicing medicine with conviction

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • The power of memory in shaping human identity

      Emily F. Peters and Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD | Physician
    • How Tratak yoga reshaped my USMLE Step 2 prep

      Dr. Nikita Mehdiratta | Education
    • Transforming primary care for physician well-being [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Your blood test and the need for better designed results
8 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...