What really goes on in medical laboratories? Notes from Africa
MODERN medical laboratories are crammed with high-tech, sleek machines, automatic analysers replacing technicians. The doctor decides which tests are indicated by choosing from column after column of possibilities. Not infrequently an alarmed medical refugee from elsewhere will appear, clutching lab reports and asking for a second opinion. By then, they will have googled the diseases mentioned on the reports. I explain that the more tests done, including CT scans and MRIs in normal people, the more likely that abnormalities will be spotted, even if they have no bearing on the current illness.