Laboratory turnaround times in response to an abrupt increase in specimen testing after a natural disaster

Understanding how key indicators change during extreme circumstances could help laboratories maintain high standards when responding to disasters. We assessed the effects of an earthquake on turnaround times (TATs) at a hospital laboratory.

We examined TATs for 709,786 potassium tests and 196,795 urine cultures from February 2010 to January 2013. Hospital and community data were evaluated separately and compared during the transport, registration (accessioning), and analysis time phases.

After the earthquake, the laboratory undertook approximately 70% of the nonacute community specimen testing. Initially, community transport times increased by 20 to 27 hours and remained 2 to 3 hours above prequake levels. Registration time increased by 10 to 20 minutes (hospital) and 30 to 45 minutes (community) for a short period. During the initial few months, community urine culture analysis time increased by more than 50 hours.

The increase in specimen numbers affected short- and long-duration test TATs differently. Streamlining and automating processes reduced registration and analysis times. Increased transport time was outside the control of the laboratory.