Timely Reporting of Critical Alerts; a Key Performance Indicator in Clinical Laboratories

Abstract

Timely reporting of critical laboratory results is crucial for patient safety and clinical decision-making. Critical alerts, also known as panic values, necessitate immediate communication with clinicians to enable prompt intervention. This study evaluates the frequency and timeliness of critical alert reporting as a key performance indicator in a specialized kidney institute's clinical laboratory. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Multan Institute of Kidney Diseases over 2.5 years (April 2021–October 2023). Data on critical alerts were extracted from the Laboratory Information System (LIS) and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The study assessed the incidence of critical values across different lab sections and evaluated adherence to the 30-minute reporting benchmark. A total of 1,015,285 tests were processed, with 18,540 (2.5%) yielding critical values. The majority of alerts originated from chemical pathology (83.4%), followed by hematology (16.6%). Despite a stringent reporting target of 30 minutes, the compliance rate was high, with hematology achieving 99.82% and chemical pathology 96.72% of timely notifications. Serum electrolytes, creatinine, and complete blood count (CBC) tests were the most frequently flagged parameters. Notably, the outpatient department (OPD) accounted for the highest number of critical alerts due to higher test requisition rates. The study highlights the effectiveness of structured protocols and digital tools in enhancing the timeliness of critical result reporting. While the laboratory demonstrated high compliance with CAP-recommended reporting timeframes, occasional delays were attributed to system workload and recipient response time. Continuous staff training and the integration of automated alert systems could further optimize reporting efficiency and patient care.