IG-12 Turnaround Times — LAB-QM-POST-003

STAT

≤ 1 hour

Generally within 1 hour of receipt. For a critical clinical situation, this may be shortened to ≤ 30 minutes — the requesting physician must telephone the laboratory first, before sending the specimen (§5.3.5).

Routine

3–4 hours

Most Chemistry and Hematology testing is performed the day the specimen is received; analysis, review, verification and acceptance are typically available within 3–4 hours of receipt.

Send-out

3–7 days

Typical range for referred tests; the actual time depends on the referral laboratory (LAB-QM-PRE-002). Rare or esoteric tests take longer.

Who is STAT by default — §5.3.1

Emergency Room — all laboratory investigations are STAT by default, unless otherwise instructed.
Medical · OB · Pediatrics · Isolation · ITC — routine by default; STAT only when the physician specifically orders it STAT.
A test that is not on the controlled STAT Test List needs CMT (or designee) approval before it is run as STAT (§5.3.2).

Mark it STAT — §5.3.3

Ordered by a physician or authorized designee and clearly identified on the request form.
Affix a STAT coloured sticker (e.g. red) to the sample, or write “STAT” legibly in highlighter/marker — positioned so it does not cover the barcode or required information.

When the STAT result is ready — §5.3.4

The requesting unit is notified by telephone; the call (date, time, person notified) is documented on the Technical Delay & TAT Monitoring Log (F-QM-POST-003-A-V0).
If the result is also a critical value, it is handled under LAB-QM-POST-002 as well.