Canada
Lab results online in Canada, explained
A notice says new lab results are ready. You open your provincial health portal and find a page of short names and numbers, sometimes before anyone has talked them over with you.
Canadian reports use SI units, so blood sugar and cholesterol are shown in mmol/L, and A1C is reported as a percentage. Tests are grouped the way they were ordered, under names like CBC, electrolyte panel, creatinine with eGFR, lipid panel and ferritin. These pages explain where to find your results in the larger provinces, how family members can help, and what each common test measures. The range printed on your own report is the one that counts.
Seeing results online
- How to see your lab results online in your province
Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec each have a government portal for lab results. Who can sign up, and what you will see there.
- How to see a parent's lab results in Canada
Helping a mom or dad with their blood test results? What B.C., Alberta, Quebec and Ontario say about family members seeing another adult's records.
Common blood tests
- Complete blood count (CBC)
A complete blood count looks at the kinds and numbers of cells in your blood: red cells, white cells and platelets.
- Electrolyte panel, creatinine (eGFR) and urea
An electrolyte panel measures minerals such as sodium and potassium, which keep your body's fluids in balance and help your heart, muscles and brain work.
- Liver function tests
Liver function tests are a group of blood tests that show whether the liver may be inflamed or not working normally.
- Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
TSH is a hormone made by the pituitary gland in the brain.
- Lipid panel
A lipid panel measures fats in your blood, including cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Hemoglobin A1C
A1C, also called glycated hemoglobin, shows your average blood sugar over the last 2 to 3 months.
- Ferritin and iron studies
Ferritin is a protein that holds iron inside the body.
- Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 helps your body make blood cells and keeps your nerves healthy.
Call 911 in an emergency. For health advice that is not an emergency, call 811 in most provinces and territories. For questions about your results, contact your family doctor, nurse practitioner or the clinic that ordered the test.
Keep your reports in one place
Take a photo or screenshot of your lab report, or upload the PDF, and Vita explains each number in plain words, suggests what to ask your doctor, and keeps it with your past results. Vita does not connect to any Canadian health record system. Hospital connections are for US hospitals, not Canadian ones.
Vita Health Coach on the App StoreGeneral information, not medical advice. VitaMedas is not connected with any government health service. Vita Health Coach explains; it never diagnoses. In an emergency, call 911. Read the medical disclaimer.