STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CLINICAL LABORATORYAT KING FAHD ARMED FORCES HOSPITAL (KFAFH)

Background:Laboratory turnaround time is considered one of the most important indicators of work efficiency in hospitals. Physicians always need timely results to make effective clinical decisions, especially in the emergency department. These results can guide physicians to admit patients to the hospital, discharge them home, or do further investigations.

Objectives:To reduce troponin turnaround time (TAT) to less than 60min using coordinated process improvement methods

Methods: A retrospective study in the ED Laboratory at King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital (KFAFH). A team of lab specialists conducted a Root cause analysis with the Fishbone diagram and applied Focus PDCA to the process. The time taken from receiving the test to the release of results in minutes was considered the Turnaround time (TAT) for the Trop I test.

Results:The average TAT time was brought down from 101 minutes to consistently less than 35 minutes by September 2019.

Conclusion:With an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, the Turnaround time for troponin Iwas successfully reduced in our Emergency Department by 70% in 2019.