Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 15, 2025
Remote Laboratory Management: Respiratory Virus Diagnostics
Published on: April 6, 2019
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Laboratory Utilization
Thomas J S Durant1,2, David R Peaper1, David Ferguson2
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted laboratory test utilization, increasing demand for COVID-19 diagnostics and management tests while decreasing overall testing volumes. This highlights the need for careful laboratory management during health crises.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Laboratory Science
- Epidemiology
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic, declared a global health emergency, caused unprecedented strain on healthcare systems.
- Understanding shifts in laboratory test demand is crucial for resource allocation and operational efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze changes in laboratory test order and specimen container utilization during the initial COVID-19 surge.
- To identify specific laboratory services most affected by the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of laboratory data from a tertiary care medical center.
- Comparison of test volumes during pre-pandemic and COVID-19 surge periods over a 10-week timeframe.
- Examination of order data and specimen container usage.
Main Results:
- A significant increase in workload for COVID-19 diagnostic (PCR) and management-related tests.
- Increased utilization of viral transport media and citrated blue top containers.
- A net decrease in overall laboratory testing volumes across most sections, despite COVID-19 related increases.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly altered laboratory operations, with increased demand for specific tests and decreased overall volume.
- Monitoring laboratory utilization patterns during pandemics is essential for effective resource management, staffing, and test stewardship.
- Findings can inform strategies for managing supply availability and laboratory operations during public health emergencies.
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was formally characterized as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Since that time, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented demand for healthcare resources. The purpose of this study was to identify changes in laboratory test utilization in the setting of increasing local incidence of COVID-19.
Methods:
We performed a retrospective assessment of laboratory test order and specimen container utilization at a single, urban tertiary care medical center. Data were extracted from the laboratory information system database over a 10-week period, spanning the primordial inflection of COVID-19 incidence in our region. Total testing volumes were calculated during the first 2 and last 2 weeks of the observation period and used as reference points to examine the absolute and relative differences in test order volume between the prepandemic and COVID-19 surge periods.
Results:
Between February 2, 2020, and April 11, 2020, there were 873 397 tests ordered and final verified. The in-house SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity rate for admitted patients in the last week of the observation period was 30.8%. Significant increases in workload were observed in the send-out laboratory section and for COVID-19 diagnosis (PCR) and management-related testing. Otherwise, there was a net decrease in overall demand across nearly all laboratory sections. Increases in testing were noted for tests related to COVID-19 management. Viral transport media and citrated blue top containers demonstrated increases in utilization.
Conclusion:
Increasing local incidence of COVID-19 had a profound impact on laboratory operations. While volume increases were seen for laboratory tests related to COVID-19 diagnostics and management, including some with limited evidence to support their use, overall testing volumes decreased substantially. During events such as COVID-19, monitoring of such patterns can help inform laboratory management, staffing, and test stewardship recommendations for managing resource and supply availability.
