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Medicine vocabulary · Diagnosis and Tests

Investigation

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃən/nounCommon term

In medicine, investigation means: A test or examination, such as a blood test or a scan, done to find the cause of a patient's problem or to check their condition.

In Turkish: tetkik, inceleme, araştırma

How it is used

Usually plural in British clinical English: 'Investigations: FBC, U&E, chest X-ray.' Doctors request, arrange or chase investigations. The verb is common too: 'We need to investigate this further.'

Example sentences

  1. What investigations would you like to do first?

  2. All her investigations so far have been normal.

Common collocations

  • further investigations
  • request investigations
  • first-line investigations
  • results of investigations
  • blood testA laboratory check of a blood sample, taken from a vein or a fingertip, to measure things like blood cells, sugar, salts or markers of infection.
  • CT scanA scan that uses X-rays taken from many angles and a computer to build detailed cross-section pictures of the body. CT stands for computed tomography.
  • rule outTo show with a history, an examination or a test that a patient does not have a particular disease, so it can be removed from the list of possibilities.
  • diagnosisThe decision about which disease or condition is causing a patient's problems, reached after taking a history, examining the patient and doing tests.
  • differential diagnosisA list of the possible diseases that could explain a patient's symptoms and signs, which the doctor narrows down with tests and more questions.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Diagnosis and Tests

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.