Medical test By method

Medical tests are medical procedures performed to detect, diagnose, or monitor disease, disease process, predisposition, or determine the course of treatment.Medical tests related to clinical chemistry and molecular diagnostics,such as physical and visual examinations, diagnostic imaging, genetic testing, chemical and cellular analysis, are often performed in healthcare settings.

• Test type

• By purpose

• Medical  examinations can be classified by their purpose, the most common being diagnosis, screening and evaluation

• Diagnosis

• Diagnostic testing is a procedure performed to confirm or determine the presence of a disease in an individual suspected of having a disease, usually after reporting symptoms, or based on other medical test results.This includes postmortem diagnosis. Examples of such tests are:

• Patients suspected of having lymphoma using nuclear medicine tests.

• Measure blood sugar in people suspected of having diabetes after increased urination.

• A complete blood count is done on people with a high fever to check for bacterial infection.

• Monitor ECG readings in patients with chest pain to diagnose or confirm any cardiac abnormalities.

Screening 

Screening refers to a medical test or series of tests used to detect or predict the presence or absence of disease in at-risk individuals in a specific group (such as a population, household, or workforce).Screening may be performed to monitor disease prevalence, manage epidemiology, aid in prevention, or strictly for statistical purposes.Examples of screening include measuring TSH levels in the blood of newborns as part of newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism checking for TSH in nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke in unregulated work environments Lung cancer and Pap smear for prevention or early detection of cervical cancer.

Monitor

Some medical tests are used to monitor the progress or response to medical treatment.

By method

Most test methods can be classified into one of the following broad categories:

• Patient observation, which may be photographed or recorded

• Questions to ask when taking personal medical history

• Tests performed during a physical exam

• Radiological tests, eg X-rays are used to make pictures of objects in the body.These tests usually involve the use of a contrast agent.

• In vivo diagnostics that are tested in the body, such as:

• Manometry

Giving a diagnostic agent and measuring the body's response, such as a gluten challenge test, systolic stress test, bronchial challenge test, oral food challenge test, or ACTH challenge test.In vitro diagnostics for testing tissue or body fluid samples eg:

Liquid biopsy

Microbiological culture, to determine the presence of microorganisms in a body sample, usually with the goal of detecting pathogenic bacteria.

• Genetic testing

• Blood sugar levels

• Liver function tests 

• Calcium testing 

Measurement of electrolytes in the blood, such as sodium, potassium, creatinine, and urea

By sample location

• In vitro tests can be classified according to the location of the sample tested and include:

• Blood test

• Urinalysis, including visual inspection of urine

• Stool examination including visual inspection of stool

• Sputum (sputum), including visual inspection of sputum.