Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)If your question is not answered here, please send it to us using the contact page. What is Argo Lab Test Interpretation Software?It is a computer program designed to help users interpret laboratory test results. It matches user input to a list of diseases and conditions.How much does it cost?It is free. We plan to introduce a subscription-based service in the future.Is the software finished?It has been under development for several years. The amount of medical information to be deciphered is very extensive. New data are added, updated, deleted, and altered constantly. The software will be updated as medical science continues to advance and as Descipher can commit resources.What should I do if I find an error with the system?Please let us know if you believe you have discovered an error so that we can fix errors in future versions of the software. The easiest way to do so is through the contact page.We are also interested in any synonyms for labs tests and diseases, whether scientific or common, that we may have omitted since we want the terms to be understandable to as many people as possible. How are the results computed?They are calculated with a proprietary algorithm. The software takes user input and applies the algorithm to search for good matches in real-time.What do the results mean?The results are designed to produce a list of diseases and conditions that is consistent with the user input. However, the results do not necessarily relate to the data entered or the true underlying disease or condition. The results are for informational purposes only and should not be used in diagnosis except as a prompt to consider diagnoses that may not have been previously considered. Such a list of diagnoses is known in medical practice as the differential diagnosis list. Medical knowledge and additional test results may be needed to rule out or rule in specific diagnoses. Many diseases and conditions cannot be diagnosed by laboratory testing and require a thorough medical history and physical examination, which should always be done prior to testing.Why can't I enter numerical values for lab tests?Every doctor's office, hospital, and laboratory may have different methods and instruments for measuring lab tests. While general reference values (normal limits) are known and published, in practice a lab test value in one clinical laboratory may have dramatically different reference values for a test with the same name in another laboratory. Reference values may also be specific to gender, age, other patient characteristics, or combinations of these. We attempt to solve this problem by only using the values high, low, or normal (or other variations) since each individual laboratory will have their own reference values. This may seem too simple but 5 tests with 3 possible outcomes generates 243 patterns. A typical set of 20 lab tests that might be ordered for a routine physical examination generates over 3 billion potential patterns.I recently had test results of "A," "B," and "C." What does this mean?We cannot answer this question. Such an answer must be given by a health professional who knows the context in which the tests were performed.My lab report does not indicate high, normal, and low. It only gives the numbers. How do I convert these to high, normal, or low?See the question above for the reason we do not use numbers. On your lab report there should be a reference interval for each test, sometimes called the "normal range." If your number is included in this interval, it is "normal"; if it is below the lower end, it is "low," and if it is above the upper end, it is "high." Sometimes an "*" will be used to indicate that the number is abnormal; sometimes an "L" or "H" will be printed beside the number. If a word(s) is listed to describe an unusual cell type or substance such as "atypical lymphocytes," these are not normally present and the inclusion on your test report indicates that they were present, but not quantified.In what direction is Descipher Medicine headed?Many of you have written to us requesting new features for the system. Many of your suggestions are planned for future versions. We are adding age and sex to the system to help narrow down the list of results. Until this is completed, it is possible for a male to show signs of pregnancy on the list, etc. Other future improvements include adding the medicine a patient is taking along with signs and symptoms to the user input. This, however, will take some time to implement. |
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