Understanding your blood test results: keeping them in one place for your GP

Blood test results have a way of scattering. One arrives as a text with a link, another as a printout from a specialist, a third sits in an email from the clinic, and last year's is somewhere in a drawer. When your GP asks how your iron or cholesterol looked last time, it's hard to remember, let alone find.

Reading the report itself can be confusing too, with columns of numbers, unfamiliar units and the odd letter H or L. Here's a plain-English look at what's on a blood test report, why a result outside the range doesn't always mean something is wrong, and how the Thrive Health Band and its Thrive by Optihealth app can keep your results together so your next GP visit feels easier.

What's on a blood test report

Pathology reports in Australia vary in layout from lab to lab, but most show the same core details: the name of each test, your result, the units it's measured in, and for many tests a reference interval, sometimes called a reference range.

Pathology Tests Explained, a not-for-profit run by Australasian pathology and science organisations, describes reference intervals as a way of comparing your result with what's considered normal for the general population. If a result falls outside that range, it's usually marked H for high or L for low, or with another symbol, to draw attention to it.

Why high or low doesn't always mean a problem

That H or L can feel alarming when you first see it, but it's a prompt for a conversation, not a verdict. Pathology Tests Explained says a result outside the range doesn't mean you're unwell and may mean nothing in your situation.

Healthdirect explains that a reference range is what's generally normal for the population, but not necessarily for everyone. It notes that results only have meaning alongside the reason you had the test, your age and sex, your overall health, your lifestyle, and any medicines you take, including complementary medicines and supplements.

There's one more detail worth knowing. Reference intervals can differ between laboratories for the same test, so Pathology Tests Explained recommends using only the range printed on the report from the lab that ran it. If you compare a result from one lab with a range you found online, you may get a misleading picture.

Why keeping results in one place helps

A single result is a snapshot. Several results over a few years start to show your own pattern, and that's often what your GP is most interested in. Is a number steady, slowly drifting or back where it was? That's much easier to answer when last year's results aren't lost in an inbox.

Having everything together also helps when more than one doctor is involved. A specialist might order one set of tests and your GP another, and the full picture can fall between the two. Healthdirect suggests telling your doctor about every medicine and supplement you take, including herbal and over-the-counter ones, and that list is easier to share when it lives next to your results.

How Thrive keeps your results together

Thrive works right across your health, not only with what the Band measures. Alongside your sleep, heart, activity and meals, the Thrive by Optihealth app has a home for your records.

Add a report in a few taps. On Upload Records, you can take a photo of a report, choose one from your photos, or add a PDF or image file. You give it a title, a category such as Lab Results, Imaging or Discharge Summary, the clinic or lab it came from, and the date.
Let Thrive read the page. For photos, Thrive can read the report and fill in the details and any lab values it finds, ready for you to check and correct before saving. You can always enter the values yourself instead.
Browse your results. Your Records lets you search, see your most recent entries, or browse by type, such as Blood Health or Organ & Metabolic Function. There's also an Out of range view that gathers results flagged outside a reference range, so you can find the ones you'd like to ask your GP about. The range printed on your lab's report is still the one to go by.
Medications and supplements. Keep a list of what you take, with the dose, how often and when you started, in Medications & Supplements.
Medical history. Conditions & Injuries holds your conditions and past injuries, with dates, in the same place.

Thrive also learns what's usual for you across nine areas of your health, from what the Band measures and what you log, so your everyday sleep, activity and heart trends sit alongside your test results.

You can ask Ask Thrive questions about the results you've saved, in everyday language, such as "Can you list my latest blood test results with the reference ranges from the report?" or "What questions could I ask my GP about my latest iron results?"

If someone helps with your care, Thrive Loops lets you share selected information with a participating trainer, health professional or someone you trust. You decide what to share and with whom, and you can change or revoke access at any time. Our piece on Ask Thrive and Thrive Loops for families and carers has more on how that works.

Taking it to your GP

Healthdirect says the best person to help you understand your results is the doctor who ordered the test, and in most cases it's best to book an appointment to talk them through. What Thrive shows isn't a diagnosis, and Thrive isn't designed to tell you what a result means for you.

Before the appointment, open Thrive and use Ask Thrive to put your questions into words. Healthdirect suggests asking things like what the results might mean for your health and whether you'll need any follow-up tests. You might also ask how a result compares with your last one, and when it would be worth testing again.

In the room, you can open the Thrive app and show your GP the report, your earlier results and your medications and supplements list, all in one place. Our piece on getting ready for a GP appointment with Ask Thrive walks through the rest.

Before you buy

You'll need a compatible iPhone or Android phone, because the Thrive app is on the Apple App Store and Google Play, in Australia and eight other countries. The app stores are only for downloading the app, though; they aren't where you buy the Band or a Plan. You can buy at thrivehealthband.com, or at a participating World Gym Australia location or health and wellness clinic.

The Thrive Health Band is A$660 for the first year under the launch offer (usually A$740). That includes the Band, which is yours to keep, and 12 months of the Thrive by Optihealth app, My Health on the web, Health Fingerprint, Ask Thrive, Thrive Loops and your data, paid once upfront. Prices are in AUD and include GST. Free Australia-wide shipping during the launch offer (usually A$14.99).

Nothing renews automatically. After your first year, you can get a new band plus 12 more months for A$660, or keep your band and renew the Thrive Connected Plan for A$240 a year (A$20 a month).

You're also covered by a 12-month Thrive Care Warranty, and consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law always apply. See Returns if something is wrong with your purchase.

Common questions

What does H or L mean on my blood test?

It usually means the result is higher or lower than the lab's reference range. That doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong. Your GP will look at it alongside the rest of your health.

Why is my reference range different from the one I found online?

Reference intervals can differ between laboratories, so the range printed on your own report is the one to use.

Can I keep blood test results in Thrive?

Yes. In the Thrive by Optihealth app you can photograph or upload a report, check the values Thrive reads from it or enter them yourself, and browse your results by date or type.

For more answers, see Questions.