Lab Week 2019: Thanks for the Tests

Posted by Sten Westgard, MS

As I look back on Medical Laboratory Professionals Week of 2019, I reflect on all the medical care I received in the past year. When I look back on all the visits, procedures, and diagnoses that were given to me, I find that 100% of those decisions were guided by laboratory test results (more than the oft-quoted 70% of medical decisions being made based on test results). So thank you, to the nameless, faceless medical professionals who handled my results. I never met you. I never interacted directly with you. But every aspect of my health in the last year was dependent upon your commitment to quality. THANK YOU for treating my specimen like it was the most important patient in the world - and for treating each and every patient the same way. And not only thanks to the technologists who handled my tests, but to ALL the technologists out there who dedicate their profession to generating the right results for all patients. A week of recognition and celebration isn't long enough to reward you for what you do, but nevertheless I hope you feel more valued because of these past few days.