Abstract：
BACKGROUND: Little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic altered laboratory testing efficiency in the State of Qatar. The aim of this study was to assess laboratory testing efficiency with respect to the total number and proportion of C-reactive protein (CRP), complete blood count (CBC), and comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) tests completed on time in 2019-2021 in several ordinary and COVID-converted Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) health centers across Qatar.
METHODS: Secondary data from 2019 to 2021 were accessed from the PHCC-Clinical Information System center. Six randomly selected centers from three regions of Qatar (Northern, Central, and Western), two of which were COVID-converted, were analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 404,316 laboratory tests were analyzed. There were decreasing, U-shaped, and inverted-U-shaped patterns in the numbers of tests conducted in different regions between 2019 and 2021 according to test type. The proportion of urgent (STAT) CBC and CMP tests increased from 2019 to 2021, and the proportion of tests completed by COVID-converted health centers increased for CRP and CBC and decreased for CMP between 2019 and 2021. Northern and Western regions in Qatar showed higher efficiency than the Central region with respect to the proportion of STAT tests completed on time in 2019-2021. COVID-converted centers completed fewer STAT CBC tests on time than ordinary centers.
CONCLUSIONS: Pandemics such as COVID-19 shift the allocation of resources from routine tests to urgent tests, as exemplified by the increase in STAT test proportions in 2019 to 2021. High population densities, as noted in the Central region of Qatar, may require additional resources during pandemics to complete urgent tests more efficiently. The conversion of centers to COVID-converted centers may not necessarily translate into higher urgent test efficiency, as exemplified by the STAT CBC test results.
METHODS: Secondary data from 2019 to 2021 were accessed from the PHCC-Clinical Information System center. Six randomly selected centers from three regions of Qatar (Northern, Central, and Western), two of which were COVID-converted, were analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 404,316 laboratory tests were analyzed. There were decreasing, U-shaped, and inverted-U-shaped patterns in the numbers of tests conducted in different regions between 2019 and 2021 according to test type. The proportion of urgent (STAT) CBC and CMP tests increased from 2019 to 2021, and the proportion of tests completed by COVID-converted health centers increased for CRP and CBC and decreased for CMP between 2019 and 2021. Northern and Western regions in Qatar showed higher efficiency than the Central region with respect to the proportion of STAT tests completed on time in 2019-2021. COVID-converted centers completed fewer STAT CBC tests on time than ordinary centers.
CONCLUSIONS: Pandemics such as COVID-19 shift the allocation of resources from routine tests to urgent tests, as exemplified by the increase in STAT test proportions in 2019 to 2021. High population densities, as noted in the Central region of Qatar, may require additional resources during pandemics to complete urgent tests more efficiently. The conversion of centers to COVID-converted centers may not necessarily translate into higher urgent test efficiency, as exemplified by the STAT CBC test results.
摘要：
背景：关于COVID-19大流行如何改变卡塔尔国的实验室检测效率知之甚少。这项研究的目的是评估实验室测试效率相对于C反应蛋白（CRP）的总数和比例，全血细胞计数(CBC),2019-2021年，全面代谢小组(CMP)测试在卡塔尔的几个普通和COVID转换的初级卫生保健公司(PHCC)卫生中心按时完成。
方法：从PHCC-临床信息系统中心访问了2019年至2021年的次要数据。来自卡塔尔三个地区的六个随机选择的中心(北部，中央,和西方)，其中两个是COVID转化的，进行了分析。
结果：共分析了404,316项实验室测试。有减少，U形,以及2019年至2021年期间根据测试类型在不同地区进行的测试数量呈倒U型模式。从2019年到2021年，紧急（STAT）CBC和CMP测试的比例增加，COVID转换后的医疗中心完成的CRP和CBC测试的比例增加，而CMP在2019年至2021年期间下降。就2019-2021年按时完成的STAT测试比例而言，卡塔尔北部和西部地区的效率高于中部地区。与普通中心相比，COVID转换中心按时完成的STATCBC测试更少。
结论：COVID-19等流行病将资源分配从常规测试转移到紧急测试，2019年至2021年STAT测试比例的增加就是例证。人口密度高,正如卡塔尔中部地区所指出的那样，在大流行期间可能需要额外的资源来更有效地完成紧急测试。将中心转换为COVID转换中心不一定会转化为更高的紧急测试效率，如STATCBC测试结果所示。
方法：从PHCC-临床信息系统中心访问了2019年至2021年的次要数据。来自卡塔尔三个地区的六个随机选择的中心(北部，中央,和西方)，其中两个是COVID转化的，进行了分析。
结果：共分析了404,316项实验室测试。有减少，U形,以及2019年至2021年期间根据测试类型在不同地区进行的测试数量呈倒U型模式。从2019年到2021年，紧急（STAT）CBC和CMP测试的比例增加，COVID转换后的医疗中心完成的CRP和CBC测试的比例增加，而CMP在2019年至2021年期间下降。就2019-2021年按时完成的STAT测试比例而言，卡塔尔北部和西部地区的效率高于中部地区。与普通中心相比，COVID转换中心按时完成的STATCBC测试更少。
结论：COVID-19等流行病将资源分配从常规测试转移到紧急测试，2019年至2021年STAT测试比例的增加就是例证。人口密度高,正如卡塔尔中部地区所指出的那样，在大流行期间可能需要额外的资源来更有效地完成紧急测试。将中心转换为COVID转换中心不一定会转化为更高的紧急测试效率，如STATCBC测试结果所示。
