Play Here: https://samri7.github.io/LabRush/
High/Low Yield Lab Info
Whenever I teach a class on lab values, I stress that memorizing the normal values is pretty low on the priorities list. It’s much more important to understand why these values would be abnormal, and how these abnormal values coalesce into a clinical picture.
Also, lab sheets should always have a reference range next to them to avoid misinterpretation (labs undergo internal validation and may have slight variations for what is ‘normal’).
However, it’s a real mental block when digging into lab values if you feel unfamiliar with normal reference ranges. When I first began learning lab values, I was obsessed with memorizing each standard value, believing this would make me proficient at interpreting the results as a whole. Being able to identify individual abnormal values quickly and then asking the question: ‘what do these have in common?’ helped me a great deal.
Lab Value Rush
This idea reoccurred when I was testing the coding ability of an LLM (large language model), and it was able to generate a lab values game pretty easily. I took the HTML code it generated over to GitHub and published it. It’s called: “Lab Value Rush” - and playing it gives me a certain level of anxiety. So, now I’m sharing it with you! 🫡
Even though it’s rather self-explanatory, here’s how it works:
Pick a difficulty level (how many lives you get).
Click on the “?” if you need the normal values it references.
Identify Low, Normal, or High before the value hits the bottom (anxiety).
It starts with the BMP (level 1), then CBC (level 2), and then level 3 and beyond is a mix of the two, and it continues to go faster with each level.
Level 10 is the hardest, and beating it took me a while!
Before you reset and "Play Again", click the "View Detailed Summary" button to view a granular breakdown of your performance.
It plays in your browser, you don't have to download it.
Happy studying!