Volume 2 - Issue 1, January - February 2026

Reducing diagnostic delays is essential for timely clinical decision-making in resource-limited health systems, where laboratory turnaround time (TAT) is often prolonged by workflow congestion, pre-analytical defects, weak post-analytical communication, and operational reliability challenges. This study evaluated the impact of a management-led laboratory workflow optimization programme on diagnostic timeliness and related quality indicators using routine paper-based records. A quasi-experimental before–after design was applied, with interrupted time series (ITS) analysis using weekly aggregated outcomes where available. Data were abstracted from specimen reception (accession) registers, bench and verification/dispatch registers, and critical value call logs. The primary outcome was receipt-to-release TAT, summarized by median, interquartile range (IQR), and the 90th percentile (p90). Secondary outcomes included target TAT attainment, specimen rejection rate and reasons, critical result release-to-notification time, analyzer downtime, and stockout burden. A total of 9,930 test records were identified (baseline: 4,820; post-intervention: 5,110), and 9,081 records were included in analysis after exclusions for cancellations, duplicates, and missing timestamps. Median receipt-to-release TAT decreased from 230 minutes (IQR 140–420) at baseline to 150 minutes (IQR 95–260) post-intervention, and p90 TAT decreased from 780 to 420 minutes (p < 0.001). Target attainment improved from 38.4% to 67.2% (p < 0.001). Specimen rejection rate decreased from 6.4% to 3.1% (p <0.001), and critical result release-to-notification time improved from 85 minutes (IQR 45–150) to 32 minutes (IQR 18–60) (p < 0.001). Analyzer downtime reduced from 41.0 to 18.0 hours/month and stockout burden reduced from 9 to 3 days/month. Weekly ITS analysis demonstrated an immediate reduction and sustained improvement in median TAT after implementation. These findings show that feasible management strategies workflow redesign, prioritization, standardized verification, and basic reliability controls can substantially reduce diagnostic delays and improve laboratory quality performance in resource-limited settings without requiring full LIS deployment.

Joshua Iluhasa, Precious Edekhewene Aghedo,"Reducing Diagnostic Delays in Resource-Limited Healthcare Systems: Management Strategies for Laboratory Workflow Optimization" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V2(1): Page(255-263) Jan-Feb 2026. ISSN: 3107-6513. www.ijamred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.