TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chemistry & Hematology Reference Intervals A1 - DomBourian, Melkon G. A1 - Helander, Louise A1 - Annen, Kyle A1 - Campbell, Alice A2 - Bunik, Maya A2 - Levin, Myron J. A2 - Abzug, Mark J. A2 - Schreiner, Teri L. PY - 2025 T2 - Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatrics, 27th Edition AB - Laboratory tests provide valuable information necessary to evaluate a patient’s condition and to monitor recommended treatment. Chemistry and hematology test results are compared with those of healthy individuals or those undergoing similar therapeutic treatment to determine clinical status and progress. In the past, the term normal ranges conveyed some ambiguity because, statistically, the term normal also implied a specific (Gaussian or normal) distribution and, epidemiologically, it implied the state of the majority, which is not necessarily the desirable or targeted population. This is most apparent in cholesterol levels, where values greater than 200 mg/dL are common but not desirable. Use of the term reference range or reference interval is therefore recommended by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) to indicate that the values relate to a reference population and clinical condition. SN - PB - McGraw Hill CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2025/03/18 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1211989488 ER -