Journal of clinical laboratory analysis
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J. Clin. Lab. Anal. · Jul 2015
An Evaluation of Laboratory Efficiency in Shanghai Emergency by Turn Around Times Level.
China launched a health care reform policy due to the aging population and rapid urbanization. However, emergency overcrowding is not improved. We assessed the laboratory efficiency of emergency department (ED) in Shanghai hospitals. ⋯ Our TAT level is approaching the recommended international standard. However, the TAT evaluation from ED laboratories demonstrates that their existence does not decrease the waiting time for laboratory reports compared to central laboratory. Thus, they have not yet approached a level to share the burden of the ED overcrowding. Further arrangement should be assigned to separate the function of emergency laboratory and central laboratory. It is worth deploying the POC assay in the ED, which will save twice the TAT level. The idea of evaluating routine laboratory efficiency by TAT at ED is fast, convenient, although it does not represent the general level of laboratory efficiency.