Turnaround Time: An Efficacy Measure for Medical Laboratories

Dawande, Pratibha P; Wankhade, Rashmi S; Akhtar, Faizan I; Noman, Obaid

doi:10.7759/cureus.28824

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The clinical wards consisted of 8 wards, namely, emergency departments (EDs) [ 16 , 39 , 56 , 57 , 69 , 70 , 89 ], surgery departments [ 58 , 62 , 63 , 91 , 102 ], intensive care units (ICUs) [ 47 , 64 , 65 ], operating rooms (ORs) [ 38 , 88 , 108 ], surgical intensive care units (SICUs) [ 111 ], obstetrics and gynecology department [ 59 ], neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) [ 74 , 103 ] and quality of care [ 18 , 31 , 40 , 50 , 72 , 92 , 95 , 112 ] indicators. The paramedical departments consisted of 3 departments, pharmacy [ 60 , 76 , 98 ], laboratory and blood bank [ 37 , 42 , 43 , 49 ], and outpatient assessment [ 86 ] indicators.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital performance evaluation indicators: a scoping review

Hadian,

Rezayatmand,

Shaarbafchizadeh

et al. 2024

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background Hospitals are the biggest consumers of health system budgets and hence measuring hospital performance by quantitative or qualitative accessible and reliable indicators is crucial. This review aimed to categorize and present a set of indicators for evaluating overall hospital performance. Methods We conducted a literature search across three databases, i.e., PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using possible keyword combinations. We included studies that explored hospital performance evaluation indicators from different dimensions. Results We included 91 English language studies published in the past 10 years. In total, 1161 indicators were extracted from the included studies. We classified the extracted indicators into 3 categories, 14 subcategories, 21 performance dimensions, and 110 main indicators. Finally, we presented a comprehensive set of indicators with regard to different performance dimensions and classified them based on what they indicate in the production process, i.e., input, process, output, outcome and impact. Conclusion The findings provide a comprehensive set of indicators at different levels that can be used for hospital performance evaluation. Future studies can be conducted to validate and apply these indicators in different contexts. It seems that, depending on the specific conditions of each country, an appropriate set of indicators can be selected from this comprehensive list of indicators for use in the performance evaluation of hospitals in different settings.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital performance evaluation indicators: a scoping review

Hadian,

Rezayatmand,

Shaarbafchizadeh

et al. 2024

BMC Health Serv Res

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“…Regrettably, diarrhea stool collection or handling process-as central to etiologic-pathogen isolation, are often not exhaustively discussed. Delays in reporting laboratory results can have a significant impact on patient diagnosis and treatment decisions (15) (16) as factors related to microbe stability, such as time and temperature, are major contributors to false results (17) especially for fastidious organisms such as Shigella . For example, Shigella-positive stool samples stored at room temperature for more than 45 minutes, may be culture negative unless stored at 4 degrees or less (18).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Setting up a Hospital Based Diarrhoea Surveillance System in a Low- and Middle-Income Country: Lessons Learned

Miti,

Chisenga,

Mubanga

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: Acute diarrhoea is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children in low-resource settings. Establishing effective surveillance systems is crucial for monitoring and responding to diarrhoeal outbreaks. Objective: This manuscript presents the lessons learned during the setup of a hospital-based diarrhoea surveillance system at Arthur Davison Children's Hospital in Ndola, Zambia. Specifically, the reasons for the delays in processing stool samples from collection to reporting of laboratory results were explored. Methods: The setup of the surveillance system involved several key steps, including stakeholder engagement, training of healthcare workers, development of data collection tools, and establishment of reporting mechanisms. The system aims to capture data on diarrhoea cases admitted to the hospital, including demographic information, clinical presentation and laboratory results. Results: Numerous obstacles were encountered during the implementation of the surveillance. There were three points of delay identified in the ADCH diarrhoea sample handling process from collection to processing: 1) Stool sample collection and packaging 2) Sample transfer from the clinical area to the laboratory 3) Handling and processing in the laboratory. Gaps identified in the three delays related to 1) Staff attitudes and perceptions 2) Health systems infrastructure 3) Operational issues 4) Data management. The following key elements are recommended for setting up a robust, locally owned diarrhoea surveillance system: Implementation of cross-cutting intervention across domains, and a human-centered approach targeted at behavioral change, creating local leadership and ownership of surveillance activities, systematic capacity building through ongoing training/orientation/local data sharing platforms for healthcare personnel, establishing reliable data collection and reporting procedures, addressing infrastructure limitations, and integrating the surveillance system into existing health information systems. Conclusion: We established a hospital-based diarrhoea surveillance system at ADCH in Ndola, Zambia. Several obstacles were identified and resolved, which provide valuable lessons for future implementing of diarrhoea surveillance systems in low resource settings. Successful implementation requires engaging of hospital and laboratory staff, adaptable and easy to use surveillance tools including entering sample information in an electronic laboratory information system and committed leadership.

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“…However, since clinicians also pay attention to service quality and the timeliness of laboratory test reports, they have stricter requirements for emergency laboratory test reports [ 16 , 17 ]. As specified in the Accreditation Criteria for the Quality and Competence of Medical Laboratories (ISO15189) [ 7 ], laboratory quality management encompasses management of the authenticity and reliability of test results and also covers the management of various factors that may affect these results. The TAT of specimens is a crucial factor that affects the quality of laboratory tests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the Accreditation Criteria for the Quality and Competence of Medical Laboratories (ISO15189) [ 7 ], turnaround time (TAT) is defined as “the duration between two designated points in the process before, during, and after laboratory tests”. TAT is employed to reflect the working efficiency of laboratories and is the preferred indicator for evaluating laboratory service quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehensive improvements in the emergency laboratory test process based on information technology

Zhang,

Liu,

et al. 2023

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak

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Objective To explore the application effects of information technology (IT) on emergency laboratory testing procedures. Methods In this study, IT-based optimisation of the emergency laboratory testing process was implemented between October and December 2021. Thus, the emergency laboratory test reports from January to September 2021 were placed into the pre-optimised group, while those from January to September 2022 were categorised into the post-optimised group. Besides, the emergency laboratory test report time, emergency laboratory test report time limit coincidence rate, error rate, and employee and patient satisfaction levels in individual months and across the whole period were described. Moreover, changes in the above indicators before and after the implementation of IT-based optimisation were explored and the application effects of IT-based optimisation were also evaluated. Results The emergency laboratory test report times after the implementation of IT-based optimisation were shorter than those before IT-based optimisation (P < 0.05). The total number of laboratory test items before and after information optimization amounted to 222,139 and 259,651, respectively. Also, IT-based optimisation led to an increase in the emergency laboratory test report time limit coincidence rate from 98.77% to 99.03% (P < 0.05), while the emergency laboratory test report error rate fell from 0.77‱ to 0.15‱ (P < 0.05). Additionally, IT-based optimisation resulted in increases in both employee satisfaction, from 80.65% to 93.55% (N = 31, P > 0.05), and patient satisfaction, from 93.06% to 98.44% (P < 0.05). Conclusion The automation and IT-based optimisation of the emergency laboratory testing process significantly reduces the emergency laboratory test report time and error rate. Additionally, IT-driven optimization enhances the alignment of emergency laboratory test report deadlines and enhances the overall quality and safety of emergency laboratory testing.

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Turnaround Time: An Efficacy Measure for Medical Laboratories

Cited by 14 publications

References 21 publications

Hospital performance evaluation indicators: a scoping review

Hospital performance evaluation indicators: a scoping review

Setting up a Hospital Based Diarrhoea Surveillance System in a Low- and Middle-Income Country: Lessons Learned

Comprehensive improvements in the emergency laboratory test process based on information technology

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