How long do blood test results take?

The key points

There is no single national turnaround. According to 1177 it varies with the type of blood test and with routines in different regions.
Three things set the time: which analysis it is, how fast the sample reaches the laboratory, and whether someone reviews the result.
Transport is often what decides. A blood sample can generally be kept at room temperature only if the laboratory processes it within four hours.
In public care you get the result from the doctor who ordered it. Some results appear in your record before anyone has commented on them.
You will be notified when your results are available in your account. A doctor's review is included.

The short answer

There is no single figure that applies to every blood test in Sweden.

1177 puts it this way: how long it takes to get a result varies, it depends on the type of blood test, some samples are analysed on the spot, others are sent to a laboratory to be examined there, and routines can also differ between regions.

The regions' own laboratory instructions say the same thing plainly: different analyses and examinations take different amounts of time, and turnaround can therefore vary quite a lot.

Turnaround follows from three things, and each can be described on its own.

What drives the turnaround

Which analysis it is. Common clinical chemistry analyses run in large series on automated instruments, and the measurement itself is quick once the sample is there. Other analyses are run less often, need more manual handling, or are performed at a different laboratory from the one that received the sample. One region describes its transport boxes as labelled with the laboratory that performs the analysis, which tells you something about the route a sample can take.

How fast the sample reaches the laboratory. This is where the time usually goes, rather than in the analysis itself. Regional instructions state that a blood sample, unless otherwise specified for the individual analysis, can be kept at room temperature only if the laboratory processes it within four hours. For whole blood analyses, samples are stated to be stable for at least eight hours at room temperature and 24 hours refrigerated. Samples are collected on a schedule, and a unit can have a fixed time after which a sample goes out with the next day's transport.

Whether someone reviews the result. Once the analysis is done the result is released. One region describes it as all electronic results, both urgent and routine, being released immediately when the analysis has been performed. If a doctor is then to read and comment on the result, that is a further step, and it takes time regardless of how fast the instrument worked.

How you get results in public care

According to 1177, you receive the result from the doctor who ordered the blood test.

In practice you often see values earlier than that. The sampling unit in Malmö describes it on its own page: you will be able to see certain results in your medical record, and your doctor contacts you about them if needed.

That means a value can sit in your record before anyone has read it with your situation in mind. Seeing a number and being told what it means are two different things, and they rarely arrive together.

Routines also differ between regions, as 1177 itself points out. What applies where you live is on your region's pages on 1177.

Why a Friday sample can become a Monday result

Turnaround is counted in working days for a practical reason. Sample transports run on a weekday schedule, and laboratory routine staffing is at its highest then.

A sampling unit can have a cut-off time. Our Göteborg site states that you should arrive by 15.00 so the samples can reliably be sent the same day. An example from public care: in Västmanland, samples handed in after 15.30 for onward transport between two of the laboratories only go the following day.

An hour's difference in when you walk in can therefore move the result by a day. If you need the result by a particular date, a morning earlier in the week is the safer choice.

How we do it

Your sample is taken venously by trained staff, analysed at a medical laboratory and reviewed by a doctor. The doctor's review is included in the price.

You will be notified when your results are available in your account. You can read your values and the doctor's comment there.

Different analyses may be completed at different times. This depends on factors including the analysis and sample transport.

Common questions

How long does a blood test at a health centre take?

It varies. According to 1177 it depends on the type of blood test, whether the sample is analysed on site or sent to a laboratory, and on the routines in your region.

Why do some analyses take longer than others?

Common clinical chemistry analyses run in large series and are quick once the sample arrives. Analyses that are run less often, need more manual handling or are performed at another laboratory take longer.

Do weekends count towards the turnaround?

Sample transport and laboratory routines can differ between weekdays and weekends. You will be notified when your results are available in your account.

Can I see the result before a doctor has looked at it?

In public care some results can appear in your medical record before they have been commented on, and your doctor contacts you if needed. With us the result comes with a doctor's review.

Is it faster if I pay more?

Price does not change how fast the laboratory can analyse. Turnaround is set by which analysis it is, when the sample was taken and when it reached the laboratory.