How to improve turnaround time in the lab

• Faster laboratory turnaround times (TAT) are essential for delivering improved patient care 
• Calculating your lab’s current TAT is the first step in identifying bottlenecks and uncovering opportunities for improvement 
• Proven strategies — like automating routine tasks, streamlining workflows, prioritizing urgent tests, and investing in staff training initiatives — can improve TAT and boost overall efficiency

All laboratory professionals understand the importance of efficiency. After all, approximately 70% of medical decisions rely on lab results, yet nearly 80% of clinical labs still report complaints about slow turnaround times (TAT).¹

And it’s not just clinicians who feel the impact. Research shows that delays in lab results can extend emergency department stays by 61% and delay treatment by 43%.² For many patients, those delays aren't just inconvenient — they can be critical. Timely results often mean the difference between early intervention and escalating risk. So, what can clinical labs do to combat their TAT and drive meaningful improvement?

It starts with clarity. Understanding how to calculate your lab’s current TAT gives you a clear baseline — a key first step in pinpointing bottlenecks and building a strategy for faster TATs.

Calculating TAT is straightforward — it starts with a simple formula: subtract the sample receipt time from the final report issue time.

To identify exactly where delays or bottlenecks are happening, many laboratories break this process down into three key phases:^1,3

• Pre-analytical phase — everything that happens before the sample reaches the analyzer: collection, labeling, transportation, and preparation. Delays here often stem from logistical issues or incomplete patient data
• Analytical phase — this is the core testing phase. Both accuracy and speed are essential, but process inefficiencies or outdated equipment can create bottlenecks
• Post-analytical phase — once the testing process is complete, the lab must validate the results, generate the reports, and deliver findings to the clinician. Delays in this part of the process can stem from communication breakdowns and reporting systems that aren’t optimized

Consider a scenario where a lab receives a blood sample at 9:00 AM. The team transports the sample, completes the analysis, validates the results, and sends the report out at 5:30 PM — resulting in a TAT of 8.5 hours.

If each member of staff tracks their lab TAT in the same way, the lab can start building a dataset. From there, calculating the lab’s average TAT becomes simple — and more importantly, it makes it easier to spot patterns and pinpoint where delays might be creeping into the workflow.¹

Fast TAT isn’t just a marker of lab efficiency — it plays a direct role in the quality of patient care. Shorter wait times lead to faster diagnoses and treatments, which means shorter hospital stays and earlier interventions.⁴ On the other hand, sluggish TAT can lead to duplicate testing, unnecessary lab expenditure, and an increased risk of medical complications.^5,6

For laboratories, prioritizing TAT drives meaningful gains in both efficiency and the overall capacity.¹ When test results are processed swiftly, labs can handle higher workloads without the need to expand staffing. Optimizing TAT also allows existing lab personnel to spend more time on more complex or high-value tasks.¹

Over time, consistently fast TAT builds trust with clinicians and healthcare providers while elevating the overall patient experience. Labs earn their reputation for reliability and responsiveness, and patients benefit from faster results — enabling earlier diagnoses and more timely care.

With continued advances in lab technology, laboratories now have more tools than ever to cut down their TAT. The following four strategies offer ways to enhance operational workflows:

Automated digital solutions can significantly reduce turnaround time by minimizing manual steps and accelerating routine tasks. For example, integrating a laboratory information management system (LIMS) enables real-time result capture, automated validation, and rapid report delivery — often without manual intervention.⁷ At the same time, robotic systems can efficiently move samples between departments, helping to eliminate common delays associated with physical handling.¹

Many delays occur during the pre-analytical phase, before testing even begins. Ensuring this phase operates efficiently is crucial to reducing overall TAT. For example, implementing barcode labeling on every tube can help guarantee accurate sample identification and smooth routing.⁶ Regular training on collection and transport procedures also plays a key role.⁶ The more up to speed lab personnel are, the less likely human error will affect the process.⁶

Establishing a structured triage system for test prioritization can have a significant impact on TAT.⁸ For example, UK’s Eastern Pathology Alliance introduced a three-tiered priority model: urgent (priority 1), inpatient (priority 2), and outpatient (priority 3). By limiting access to urgent tests and integrating digital tools, they helped lab teams better understand the role they play in delivering timely care — ultimately reducing TATs and improving service delivery.⁸

It may sound simple, but repeated tests can cause significant delays. Enforcing strong quality control measures helps prevent unnecessary retesting and keeps workflow on track. One effective approach is switching from reactive to preventative maintenance — labs that adopt scheduled maintenance procedures have reported nearly 53% less unplanned downtime and nearly 80% fewer defects.⁹ At the same time, investing in the lab team through continuous training is essential.^5,6 Ensuring staff are confident using new automation tools and understand how TATs relate to the patient pathway can lead to a more consistent performance.⁶

Improving laboratory turnaround time is a win-win. Faster results not only benefit patients through quicker diagnoses, but also help labs operate more efficiently — ultimately helping improve the overall delivery of care. 

While identifying bottlenecks and calculating current TAT can take time, the impact is well worth the effort. Even simple fixes — like standardizing sample forms or fixing a mislabeled printer — can save valuable minutes across hundreds of tests. By combining these improvements with automation and ongoing staff training initiatives, labs can begin delivering faster results with lasting impact.