Key points
To provide an overview of the use of the complete blood count in primary care and to provide advice on appropriate follow-up for abnormal results.
Introduction
The complete blood count (CBC) is the most frequently requested blood test in New Zealand. The primary points of interest in the CBC are often whether a patient is anaemic, whether the white count shows evidence of infection and whether the platelets are at a level that may affect haemostasis.
GPs have told us they are reasonably comfortable interpreting CBC results with marked abnormalities, but would like guidance when the results show only subtle abnormalities or when the clinical picture is not clear.
This is a consensus document
This is not a comprehensive document covering all causes of abnormal results; it is a consensus document produced in conjunction with specialist haematologists, providing an overview for some scenarios encountered in primary care.
Background
Haematopoiesis - Cell development
All blood cells are produced within the bone marrow from a small population of stem cells. Less than one in 5000 of the marrow cells is a stem cell. These cells represent a self-renewing population.
Download here: Complete Blood Count in Primary Care
