MONITORING OF TURNAROUND TIME IN DIAGNOSING CORONAVIRUS DISEASE-19 SAMPLES: NEED OF THE HOUR

ANUPRIYA A; DIEGO EDWIN; LALITHAMBIGAI J; PRABHUSARAN N

doi:10.22159/ajpcr.2021.v14i9.42342

Authors

ANUPRIYA A Department of Microbiology, Trichy SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (Affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai), Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India
DIEGO EDWIN Department of Microbiology, Trichy SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (Affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai), Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India
LALITHAMBIGAI J Department of Microbiology, Trichy SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (Affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai), Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India
PRABHUSARAN N Department of Microbiology, Trichy SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (Affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai), Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22159/ajpcr.2021.v14i9.42342

Keywords:

Molecular biology lab, Coronavirus disease-19, Turnaround time

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate laboratory turnaround time (TAT) and to find out the reasons for delay in TAT in diagnosing coronavirus disease (COVID) samples.

Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational study was conducted from August 2020 to March 2021 in a Tertiary care teaching hospital. TAT was calculated from sample reception to report dispatch.

Results: Of the 4500 samples analyzed in Molecular Laboratory for the purpose of COVID diagnosis, 890 (19.7%) had delayed TAT. The average TAT of samples in Emergency and Intensive care units (ICU) is 3 h; and it is 3 h and 30 min in inpatient and outpatient (OP) services. The average prolonged TAT is 3 h and 30 min and 4 h 10 min in Emergency care, ICU services, and inpatient and OP services respectively. The reasons for prolonged TAT includes payment for tests in the cash unit, repetition of test, specimen related, reagent related, machine breakdown, and software related.

Conclusion: The TAT demonstrates the need for improvement in the pre- and post-analytical period.

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