Blood and Blood Tests

Patient education about blood and blood tests. Somali and Spanish translations with English. Includes descriptions of 8 common blood tests, as well as answers to common questions about blood and blood draws. These materials were developed and translated by Community House Calls Program, Harborview Medical Center/Univ of WA, Seattle WA, for EthnoMed. Spanish: December 2003; Somali: December 2004.

Common Questions about Blood and Blood Draws

What is Blood?
Description about what blood is and does, including red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets.
Spanish/English | Somali/English

Why Does My Doctor Need to Take My Blood?
Explanation about why a doctor may need to draw patient's blood.
Spanish/English | Somali/English

How Much Blood is Taken?
Explanation about how much blood is typically drawn for tests, reassuring a patient that there is plenty of blood in the body.
Spanish/English | Somali/English

How is Blood Drawn?
Information about how blood is drawn and what care is taken at the site of the draw.
Spanish/English | Somali/English

Where Does Blood Go After It Is Drawn?
Explanation about what happens to a person's blood sample after it is drawn, including testing and disposal.
Spanish/English | Somali/English

What does my blood test mean?
Descriptions of individual blood tests listed below in Spanish/English and Somali/English. Descriptions of all tests compiled in a single PDF document (3 pages) is also available in Somali/English: Waa maxay macnaha baaritaanka dhiigeyga? |What Does My Blood Test Mean.

Spanish/English

Somali/English

Glucosa | Glucose

Sokorta (Macaanka) | Glucose

Creatinina | Creatinine

Creatinine | Creatinine

Colesterol HDL/LCD | Cholesterol HDL/LDL

Glóbulos Blancos | White blood cells (WBC)