Textbook of Laboratory and Diagnostic Testing ─ Practical Application at the Bedside

This textbook focuses on key aspects of ancillary testing and how to incorporate them into nursing practice. It details commonly used laboratory and diagnostic studies and the hows and whys of these tools in clinical situations, organized by test category, with information on assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation, critical findings, expected outcomes, and pretest, intratest, and post-test pearls, as well as nursing implications, complications, related tests, and normal findings. The second section contains case studies of specific conditions illustrating a step-by-step approach to the use of the nursing process, including data collection, potential problems/diagnoses, potential interventions and expected outcomes, assessment, actual problems/diagnoses, planning interventions, implementation, creating a plan of care, and evaluation. The text is not meant to be a comprehensive reference for data on laboratory and diagnostic findings. Online access to a digital version of the book and other resources is included. Annotation c2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)