What This Document Is
This document is a quick-reference table of common laboratory tests used in nursing care. It provides normal value ranges for various chemistry tests – including electrolytes, proteins, glucose, and lipids – alongside potential reasons for imbalances, indicating conditions where values might be higher or lower than expected. It’s designed as a concise lookup tool for interpreting lab results.
Why This Document Matters
This table is valuable for nursing students and practicing nurses who need frequent access to normal lab ranges. It supports clinical decision-making by offering potential clinical correlations to abnormal results, prompting further investigation. It’s particularly useful during clinical rotations, patient assessments, and care planning. Understanding these ranges and potential imbalances is fundamental to comprehensive patient monitoring.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This document is *not* a substitute for in-depth understanding of pathophysiology or clinical judgment. It provides potential reasons for imbalances, but doesn’t cover all possibilities, nor does it offer diagnostic guidance. It’s a starting point for interpretation, not a definitive guide. It also doesn’t explain *how* to obtain lab samples or the specific methodologies used in testing.
What This Document Provides
The full document includes:
* Normal reference ranges for tests like Potassium (K+), Chloride, Magnesium (Mg++), Calcium (Ca++), Phosphorus, Albumin, BUN, Creatinine, Glucose, and HbA1c.
* Lists of potential causes for both increased and decreased values for each test.
* Brief explanations of the role of key tests like Protein and Creatinine.
* Reference ranges for Cholesterol, HDL, and Carbon Dioxide.
This preview only shows a *selection* of the tests included in the full table. It does not provide the complete list of tests or the full range of potential imbalance causes.
