Diagnostic laboratories in Asia Pacific region: Investigation on quality characteristics and time of reporting

Abstract

This is the result of a Survey of various aspects of quality, cost and speed in a large sample of diagnostic laboratories in the Asia Pacific region. It is the first of its type to be published and represents a snapshot of the current performance in a large number of diagnostic laboratories in a broad range of countries in the Asia Pacific region. This demonstrates that there are common issues facing all the laboratories surveyed but also common solutions using a Quality Systems approach which involves Accreditation, Customer responsiveness, greater use of IT, automation and Lean principles. The Survey provides data on some quality characteristics such as Turnaround Time (TAT) and quality improvement activities. It has been the case that some of the KPIs have improved over the course of the Surveys for example a reduction in the average TAT, and it might be that this occurred as a result of participation. Most laboratories have a target of 46–60 min for STAT (Short Turnaround Time) on Clinical Chemistry and Immunoassay samples.