Author Description

Mosbys Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Database CD-ROM provides nurses and other health professionals with crucial hands oninformation on commonly ordered laboratory and diagnostic tests in a convenient electronic form to facilitate learning, improve patient care decision making, enhance efficiency, and ensure quality care. Tests are presented in a consistent format and in a unique sequence, which simulates priorities in the clinical setting. Each test includes where relevant: alternate or abbreviated test names; type of test; normal findings, possible critical values; test explanation and related physiology; contraindications; potential complications; interfering factors, procedure and patient care (before, during and after); home care responsibilities; and abnormal findings. Provides guidelines for each type of laboratory test and diagnostic procedure to ensure safety and accuracy in the "User's Guide to Test Preparation and Performance." Includes normal findings for adult, elderly, and pediatric patients to provide complete clinical data. Highlights possible critical values to alert the reader to situations requiring immediate intervention. Alerts the reader to the effects of pharmacologic-agents on tests with a special symbol next to drug-related interfering factors. Highlights increased and decreased abnormal findings with directional arrows. Allows the reader to locate related or similarly performed studies in useful lists of tests by body system and test type. Provides important patient teaching guidelines and instructions for patients outside of acute care settings in the "home care responsibilities" section of appropriate monographs. Presents the most current tests and procedures with 13 new monographs, including bone densitometry, breast cancer genetic screening, breast scintography, octreotride scan, and sleep studies. Offers thorough explanations of more than 600 laboratory and diagnostic tests, including normal and ab