Blood work is an integral part of maintaining your health and that of the community around you. Even though the vast majority of people get regular blood work done, either as part of screening or for more acute tests, many aren’t sure exactly what those tests and screenings look for. Further, blood donations also have a crucial role in communities, especially in the winter when the number of people who donate blood goes down.

At The Ready Care Clinic, we want to inform you about the importance of blood tests, blood screenings, and blood donations for your overall health and that of our community. Keep reading to learn more.

What Are Blood Tests?

Blood tests are a way for medical professionals to analyze your blood for specific ailments and to see how well your kidneys, liver, heart, or thyroid are working. Blood tests are specific and often target key parts of your blood to determine whether or not you have an ailment. Most often, a medical practitioner will order a blood test and send samples to a lab to look for a specific ailment and interpret the results.

Why Do Blood Tests Matter?

Blood tests matter because they can find specific illnesses that you may have. This lets medical practitioners diagnose and treat the illness or its symptoms with more accuracy. Some illnesses require a blood test to identify accurately.

What Are Blood Screenings?

Blood screenings are more generalized tests that look for a number of common ailments that can be identified through routine testing. Most people are more familiar with routine screenings as part of annual physical checkups. Typically, a medical practitioner will take samples of your blood and send them to a lab for testing, then note if there are any irregularities compared to your previous results and the average results of blood screenings.

Why Do Blood Screenings Matter?

Blood screenings matter because they allow medical practitioners to detect possible illnesses and ailments early, especially if they see abnormalities in your blood at your annual physical checkup. Most often, screenings are used to watch for cancer, sexually transmitted infections, heart disease, thyroid disease, and diabetes.

What Are Blood Donations?

Blood donations are a way for people to medically give blood so that it can be used in transfusions. Transfusions are a medical practice where donated blood is inserted into someone to replace missing components of blood they lost either through illness or injury. There are many nuances to blood donations and transfusions, but one of the most well-known is understanding compatible and incompatible blood types and ensuring that transfusion recipients receive the correct blood type to minimize risks.

Why Do Blood Donations Matter?

Blood donations matter because they can provide valuable stocks of blood that are used in transfusions for people who may pass away without them. This is especially true in the winter when the number of people who donate blood decreases due to cold weather, illness, schedules, or a myriad of other reasons. If you’re interested in donating blood, look for donation locations in your area or talk to our team at The Ready Care Clinic to learn of locations where you can donate.

Walk-In Services At The Ready Care Clinic

At The Ready Care Clinic, our team of experienced medical practitioners is ready to help you stay healthy. Our services include walk-in health checkups for acute illnesses such as viruses and ongoing health management. Contact us today to learn more about what we do.