Pathology

Our laboratories examine blood, tissue and other samples so your doctor can reach a diagnosis and follow how you respond to treatment. They examine samples for hospitals and clinics across the UAE, from everyday blood tests through to the study of tissue and cells. Most results go straight to the doctor who asked for the test.

What is pathology?

Pathology is the laboratory speciality that examines samples of blood, tissue and other body fluids to diagnose and monitor disease. It works behind the scenes: when your doctor requests a test, orders a biopsy or needs to confirm a diagnosis, pathologists and laboratory scientists analyse the sample and report what they find. Where radiology looks at the body through imaging, pathology tests the sample itself. Its results guide diagnosis, screening and the monitoring of long-term conditions.

How pathology fits your care

You usually reach pathology through another part of your care, rather than by booking it yourself. Pathology is involved when:

• Your doctor requests blood or urine tests to investigate symptoms
• A swab or sample is taken to check for infection
• A biopsy or piece of tissue is removed and needs examining
• A screening test, such as a cervical smear, is analysed
• A long-term condition needs regular monitoring
• Blood is typed and matched before a transfusion or surgery

Your samples are collected at a clinic or hospital, sent to the laboratory, and the results go back to the team looking after you, who explain what they mean. Because the laboratory works on your doctor's request, there's no separate appointment or referral to arrange. The tests are ordered as part of your treatment. A few tests need some preparation. Certain blood tests, for example, ask you to fast first, and you'll be told in advance if that applies to you.

What to expect

For most tests, a sample is all that's needed. A nurse or phlebotomist may take a small amount of blood, ask you for a urine sample or take a swab. For a biopsy, a doctor removes a small piece of tissue during a separate procedure. The sample is labelled and sent to the laboratory, where it may be examined under a microscope, grown in a culture to check for infection or run through automated analysers.

How long results take depends on the test. Some are ready within hours, while tissue and culture tests take longer, and some samples pass through more than one part of the laboratory before a full picture emerges. Your doctor then receives the results, talks you through what they mean and agrees the next step with you.

Pathology at Mediclinic

Our laboratories serve Mediclinic hospitals and clinics in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, with sample collection and testing available around the clock at Mediclinic City Hospital. Between them, our pathology teams cover the main laboratory disciplines, from examining tissue and diagnosing infection to typing and matching blood for transfusion. Samples taken at our clinics are sent on to the laboratory, and many routine blood tests run on automated analysers so results can reach your doctor quickly. Our laboratories work to international standards, with accreditation at some sites from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and to ISO 15189.