What to do if…
a test result is marked urgent or critically abnormal and no one has explained it

What to do now

1. Check how you feel. Call 911 if you have trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, sudden confusion, a seizure, bleeding that will not stop, or another severe or rapidly worsening symptom.

2. Open or photograph the complete report. Note the test name, exact result, units, reference range, collection date and time, report date, and the precise urgent, critical, panic, or alert wording.

3. Call the clinician or facility that ordered the test. Say: “My test result is marked urgent or critically abnormal, and no clinician has explained it. I need a licensed clinician to review the exact result now.”

4. Ask for the ordering clinician, a nurse, a covering clinician, or the on-call clinician. Confirm your callback number and describe any symptoms, recent illness, procedure, pregnancy, and medicines or supplements you take.

5. Ask whether the laboratory notified anyone about the result, who received the notification, and when. For results indicating an imminently life-threatening condition, or panic or alert values, federal laboratory rules require the laboratory to immediately alert the individual or entity requesting the test and, if applicable, the individual responsible for using the test results. This does not guarantee that someone has already contacted you.

6. If the office is closed, use its after-hours number or answering service. If you cannot find one, call the laboratory or testing facility shown on the report to confirm which clinician or facility received the result and how to contact them. The laboratory may provide the report but may not interpret what it means for you.

7. Ask the reviewing clinician whether you need emergency assessment, whether the test should be repeated promptly, whether you should change anything before assessment, and which symptoms require a 911 call.

8. If the report specifically says critical, panic, or immediate action required and you cannot reach any clinician promptly, seek assessment at an emergency department. Call 911 instead if your symptoms make travel unsafe.

9. Take the report, identification, medication and supplement list, allergy information, and relevant medical history with you. Ask a trusted person to stay with you or drive you when an ambulance is not needed.