Research Article
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Year 2022, , 457 - 461, 01.10.2022
https://doi.org/10.31067/acusaglik.1161337

Abstract

Project Number

None

References

  • Watts NB. Reproducibility (precision) in alternate site testing. A clinician's perspective. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1995;119:914-7.
  • Neuberger J, Peters M. The clinical interface--a British physician's view. Clin Chim Acta. 1996;248:11-8. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(95)06262-9.
  • Kilinckaya MF, Yucel Ç, Turhan T. An evaluation of efficiency in an emergency laboratory by turnaround time. Int J Med Biochem. 2018;1:57-61. DOI: 10.14744/ijmb.2018.98698
  • Lundberg GD. Acting on Significant Laboratory Results. JAMA. 1981;245:1762-3. doi: 10.1001/jama.1981.03310420052033.
  • Griffin M, Sohrabi C, Alsafi Z, Nicola M, Kerwan A, Mathew G, et al. Preparing for COVID-19 exit strategies. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2021;61:88-92. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2020.12.012
  • Ogutlu H. Turkey's response to COVID-19 in terms of mental health. Ir J Psychol Med. 2020;37:222-5. doi: 10.1017/ipm.2020.57. Epub 2020 May 21.
  • Hawkins RC. Laboratory turnaround time. Clin Biochem Rev. 2007;28:179-94.
  • Coetzee LM, Cassim N, Glencross DK. Weekly laboratory turn-around time identifies poor performance masked by aggregated reporting. Afr J Lab Med. 2020;9:1102. doi: 10.4102/ajlm.v9i1.1102
  • Cheng P, Rieta R, Bowen R. Evaluation of turn-around-time (TAT) of emergency department specimens after computerized autoverification. Clinical Biochemistry . 2008;41:1265-.
  • Goswami B, Singh B, Chawla R, Gupta VK, Mallika V. Turn Around Time (TAT) as a Benchmark of Laboratory Performance. Indian J Clin Biochem. 2010;25:376-9. DOI: 10.1007/s12291-010-0056-4
  • Lippi G, Simundic AM, Plebani M. Potential preanalytical and analytical vulnerabilities in the laboratory diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Clin Chem Lab Med. 2020;58:1070-6. DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2020-0285
  • Eren F, Tuncay ME, Oguz EF, Neselioglu S, Erel O. The response of total testing process in clinical laboratory medicine to COVID-19pandemic. Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2021;31:020713. doi: 10.11613/BM.2021.020713
  • Ahmed S, Jahan F, Naeem Effendi MU, Ghani F. Impact of COVID-19 on the pre and post analytical clinical laboratory testing processes- A performance evaluation study using six sigma. Annals of Medicine and Surgery. 2021;70:102842. DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102842

Effect of the Pandemic on the Turnaround Time Intervals in the Public Health Laboratory

Year 2022, , 457 - 461, 01.10.2022
https://doi.org/10.31067/acusaglik.1161337

Abstract

Introduction
Turnaround time is one of the most important signs of a laboratory service which many clinicians use to evaluate the quality of the laboratory.
Pandemic has enlightened the importance of laboratory medicine in healthcare organizations. Each step in total testing process can be affected by errors essential in laboratory medicine. Our study aims to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on turnaround time.
Material and Methods
We evaluated turnaround time periods of the routine biochemistry, immunoassay, hematology, hemoglobinopathies, HbA1c and blood-typing. In our study, intra-laboratory turnaround time, which is starting from sample acceptance time to results’ verification time is determined. Defined turnaround time duration for all type of analytes are 1440 min.
Time intervals in study as listed; Group 1 (pre-pandemic stage), Group 2 (pandemic stage), and Group 3 (post-pandemic stage).
Frequency of samples with a TAT exceeded the laboratory’s cutoff time interval was determined and compared within groups.
Results
The percentage of exceeded turnaround time of all analytes, except blood typing, hematology and HbA1c in the Group 1 are significantly lower than other groups. With regards to comparing Group 2 and Group 3, percentage of exceeded turnaround times of HbA1c and hematology samples in the Group 3 are found significantly lower than the Group 2
Discussion:
Turnaround time can be evaluated as a benchmark of the laboratory performance. Workload of the laboratories should be taken into consideration is specific situations, like pandemic.

Giriş
Test istem sonuç süresi, laboratuvar kalitesini değerlendirme amaçlı, çoğu klinisyenin kullandığı önemli bir parametredir. Pandemi dönemi, sağlık hizmeti organizasyonlarında laboratuvar tıbbının önemini bir kez daha göstermiştir. Toplam test sürecindeki her bir basamak, laboratuvar tıbbında önemli olan hatalardan etkilenebilmektedir. Çalışmamızın amacı test istem sonuç süresine COVID-19 pandemisinin etkisini göstermektir.
Materyal ve Metot
Rutin biyokimya, immünassay, hematoloji, hemoglobinopati değerlendirmesi, HbA1c ve kan gruplama parametrelerindeki test istem sonuç süresi değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışmamızda, örneğin kabul zamanı ile sonuçların onaylanma süresi arasındaki fark olarak da bilinen, laboratuvar içi test istem sonuç süresi kullanılmıştır. Laboratuvarımızda belirlenen test istem sonuç süresi, 1440 dk'dır.
Çalışma grubundaki zaman aralıkları; Grup 1 (Pandemi öncesi dönem), Grup 2 (Pandemi dönemi) ve Grup 3 (Pandemi sonrası dönem) olarak gruplandırılmıştır. Laboratuvarın belirlediği test istem sonuç süresini aşan örneklerin sıklığı belirlenmiş ve gruplar arası karşılaştırması yapılmıştır.
Sonuçlar
Grup 1'deki Kan grubu, hematoloji ve HbA1c analizleri dışındaki diğer analizlerdeki test istem sonuç süresini aşan numune sıklıkları, diğer gruplara göre daha düşüktür. Grup 2 ve Grup 3 karşılaştırıldığında, HbA1c ve hematoloji örneklerindeki test istem sonuç süresi aşma sıklığı, Grup 3'de anlamlı düzeyde düşüktür.
Tartışma: Test istem sonuç süresi, laboratuvar performansının bir belirteci olarak değerlendirilebilir. Laboratuvarların iş yükü, pandemi gibi spesifik durumlarda göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır.

Supporting Institution

None

Project Number

None

Thanks

None

References

  • Watts NB. Reproducibility (precision) in alternate site testing. A clinician's perspective. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1995;119:914-7.
  • Neuberger J, Peters M. The clinical interface--a British physician's view. Clin Chim Acta. 1996;248:11-8. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(95)06262-9.
  • Kilinckaya MF, Yucel Ç, Turhan T. An evaluation of efficiency in an emergency laboratory by turnaround time. Int J Med Biochem. 2018;1:57-61. DOI: 10.14744/ijmb.2018.98698
  • Lundberg GD. Acting on Significant Laboratory Results. JAMA. 1981;245:1762-3. doi: 10.1001/jama.1981.03310420052033.
  • Griffin M, Sohrabi C, Alsafi Z, Nicola M, Kerwan A, Mathew G, et al. Preparing for COVID-19 exit strategies. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2021;61:88-92. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2020.12.012
  • Ogutlu H. Turkey's response to COVID-19 in terms of mental health. Ir J Psychol Med. 2020;37:222-5. doi: 10.1017/ipm.2020.57. Epub 2020 May 21.
  • Hawkins RC. Laboratory turnaround time. Clin Biochem Rev. 2007;28:179-94.
  • Coetzee LM, Cassim N, Glencross DK. Weekly laboratory turn-around time identifies poor performance masked by aggregated reporting. Afr J Lab Med. 2020;9:1102. doi: 10.4102/ajlm.v9i1.1102
  • Cheng P, Rieta R, Bowen R. Evaluation of turn-around-time (TAT) of emergency department specimens after computerized autoverification. Clinical Biochemistry . 2008;41:1265-.
  • Goswami B, Singh B, Chawla R, Gupta VK, Mallika V. Turn Around Time (TAT) as a Benchmark of Laboratory Performance. Indian J Clin Biochem. 2010;25:376-9. DOI: 10.1007/s12291-010-0056-4
  • Lippi G, Simundic AM, Plebani M. Potential preanalytical and analytical vulnerabilities in the laboratory diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Clin Chem Lab Med. 2020;58:1070-6. DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2020-0285
  • Eren F, Tuncay ME, Oguz EF, Neselioglu S, Erel O. The response of total testing process in clinical laboratory medicine to COVID-19pandemic. Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2021;31:020713. doi: 10.11613/BM.2021.020713
  • Ahmed S, Jahan F, Naeem Effendi MU, Ghani F. Impact of COVID-19 on the pre and post analytical clinical laboratory testing processes- A performance evaluation study using six sigma. Annals of Medicine and Surgery. 2021;70:102842. DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102842
There are 13 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Other)
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Murat Cihan 0000-0001-6611-7226

Muhammed Fevzi Kılınçkaya 0000-0002-0815-5467

Project Number None
Publication Date October 1, 2022
Submission Date August 12, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022

Cite

EndNote Cihan M, Kılınçkaya MF (October 1, 2022) Effect of the Pandemic on the Turnaround Time Intervals in the Public Health Laboratory. Acıbadem Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi 13 4 457–461.