My new doctor has a policy I never expected to see: he posts lab results to a secure website so I can download and read them for myself. The results come with a note to point me to any abnormal result and tell me what to do about it. I am absolutely delighted!
I can’t think how many times over my adult life I've been brushed off by docs and their staff when I asked for the actual numbers. “It’s in the normal range”, they would say, or “The doctor will tell you what you need to know.” I hate that! How can a doc who sees me for ten minutes know what I might need to know?
No, I don’t know all the benchmarks and norms, but that’s what Google is for — and yes, I do know how to evaluate an Internet source.