Ifeanyichukwu Ifechidere: Coagulation Fundamentals for Result Interpretation in Clinical Practice
Ifeanyichukwu Ifechidere, Specialist Biomedical Scientist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“From lost in the MDT… to adding real clinical value
I still remember my first MDT meeting as a newly qualified biomedical scientist.
I walked in thinking: ‘I know my coagulation. I’ll be fine’
Within minutes…Ahh, I was completely lost.
The room was filled with consultants, haematologists, nurses, pharmacists – speaking a language that sounded familiar, but somehow not the same as what I’d learned in the lab.
They weren’t talking about ‘results.’
- ‘Recurrent VTE despite anticoagulation…’
- ‘Possible underlying malignancy…’
- ‘Inflammatory markers trending up…’
And I sat there thinking:
My God! Where does my APTT result fit into all of this?
But here is my turning point
What changed wasn’t my technical knowledge.
It was my perspective.
I started asking different questions:
Why was this test requested?
What decision is this result influencing?
What could make this result misleading?
Suddenly, coagulation wasn’t just numbers – it was context.
From reporting results to interpreting meaning
Instead of just releasing results, I began to notice patterns:
- A short APTT in a patient with inflammation – could this reflect elevated factor VIII?
- Low fibrinogen by Clauss – interference or true deficiency?
- Unexpected results – do they fit the clinical picture?
And slowly… I started speaking up.
The first time I contributed
I still remember the moment, that quite confident.
A case was being discussed with ‘low fibrinogen.’
Something didn’t add up.
I hesitated… then said:
‘Could this be assay interference rather than true hypofibrinogenaemia?’
The room paused.
Then someone nodded.
Then the discussion shifted.
And just like that – I wasn’t invisible anymore.
Where I am now
Today, I don’t just attend MDTs – I contribute.
I flag potential interferences
I provide interpretive comments
I help connect lab data to clinical decisions
Because biomedical scientists aren’t just behind – the – scenes.
We are part of the clinical decision – making process.
I have been there
Feeling lost at the start doesn’t mean you don’t belong.
It means you’re learning to think clinically, not just analytically.
And that’s where real impact begins.
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