SEQC-ML updates Lab Tests Online with the aim of becoming the reference website in the clinical laboratry field
08/03/2023
The website in Spanish is the result of collaboration between the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC-ML), responsible for its content, and the Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies (FENIN)
• Lab Tests Online (LTO) allows anyone to reliably interpret their blood and urine tests. For their part, healthcare professionals can quickly find out about specific aspects of a complex test and its interpretation.
• The platform has an average of 500,000 monthly visits. Since its launch in Spain in 2007, visits have increased significantly, going from an average of 130,000 per month in 2015, to 480,000 unique monthly users in 2022.
• The new digital space has a renovated format for quick and intuitive access to its contents. It will shortly include a "Laboratory Spies" section, prepared by FENIN, with videos on what a clinical laboratory is like from the inside.
• The website has information on some 340 laboratory tests, more than 150 physiological states and diseases, a dictionary with many definitions, population screenings, advice and a monthly news item.
Lab Tests Online (LTO) is a web page designed with the objective of offering a reliable source of knowledge on laboratory tests and related diseases, through simple and rigorous language, so that it is useful for both healthcare professionals and the general population. The Spanish version of LTO was launched in 2007 thanks to the joint effort of the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQCML ), responsible for its content, and the Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies (FENIN), which has given project support. In its goal of becoming the reference website in the clinical laboratory field, the platform has been updated with a renovated format for faster and more intuitive access to its contents.
In the words of Dr. Josep Miquel Bauçà, member of the Board of Directors of the SEQCML , “when a patient has a blood or urine test done, he wants to know which tests have been studied and what they all mean. Thanks to the website, the society can find out about the multitude of tests that are carried out in these laboratories and understand their impact on the screening, diagnosis and treatment of diseases”. For their part, healthcare professionals can quickly learn about specific aspects of a complex test and its interpretation.
Lab Tests Online is a website that offers complete and up-to-date information for each test or disease, with a simple summary for quick reference, answers to common questions, and the possibility of delving deeper into most of the tests.
The updating of the web incorporates changes in color, typography, and structure. “In addition, we have just created a profile on Instagram to disseminate curiosities about tests, screenings and diseases, which we continue to update”, according to Dr. Bauçà. In addition, a "Laboratory Spies" section will be added shortly, prepared by FENIN, which will include videos on what a clinical laboratory is like from the inside. "This way we will open our specialty even more to other health professionals and to any member of the public," he noted.
The recent changes to the website are only the starting point, the contents of which will continue to be updated and expanded as demanded by users and science. According to Dr. Bauçà, the most consulted pages within LTO are those related to common laboratory tests (cholesterol, liver function tests, urinalysis) and those on requirements for a blood test.
The website from our country is considered a success story; in fact, visits have been increasing significantly, going from an average of 130,000 per month in 2015 to 350,000 in 2018, and reaching 480,000 unique users per month in 2022. According to the SEQCML , "over the last few years the website has had an average of 500,000 monthly visits, with a total of 4.1 million unique users in the last year".
Currently the web has information on some 340 laboratory tests, more than 150 physiological states and diseases, a dictionary with a multitude of definitions, population screenings, advice, and a monthly news item. Dr. Bauçà concluded: “Our intention in the coming years is to increase the number of tests and keep them fully updated, which we will achieve thanks to the collaboration of the SEQCML and the support of FENIN”.