Evaluation of Clinical Laboratory Tests’ Turnaround Time in a Tertiary Hospital in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

The delay in the delivery of laboratory results can be fatal and can even lead to the death of patients. This study was conducted at the clinical laboratory of the University Hospital of Kinshasa (UHK) from October 2020 to April 2021, aimed to evaluate the laboratory tests’ turnaround time (TAT) and to identify reasons for delay. TAT was quantified using a time and motion analysis approach. The evaluation of TAT consisted of comparing the overall intra-lab TAT with the suggested TAT using student t-test at 95% confidence intervals. Brainstorming was the root cause analysis tool used for identifying reasons for delay. In this study, the laboratory tests’ TATs were significantly higher (p < 0.001) comparing to international guidelines (60 minutes) and customers’ suggested TAT (120 minutes). Only 0.98% of the samples were reported within 60 minutes of patient reception and 1.47% within 120 minutes, i.e. an outlier rate of 98.5%. Root causes of delay related to Machinery, Management, Manpower, Materials, Method and Milieu. Because of many reasons, the laboratory is not meeting the established TAT. Preventive and curative measures must be undertaken to reduce the delay and improve the TAT.