Turnaround time and critical values
TAT targets, the TAT breached badge, and recording who was told about a critical result.
Turnaround time (TAT)
CareList measures each order's turnaround time from registration to Verified. The target depends on the priority:
| Priority | TAT target |
|---|---|
| STAT | 1 hour |
| Urgent | 4 hours |
| Routine | 24 hours |
An order that is not verified within its target shows a red TAT breached badge on the list and on the order page. The number of breached orders is shown at the top of the Diagnostics list; tap it, or filter by priority, to see which orders need chasing.
Cancelled and rejected orders do not count towards TAT.
TAT breach alerts
Every 5 minutes CareList checks for open orders past their target. For each one, it sends one alert (never repeated for the same order) to the people who can verify that department's reports, administrators and the quality manager. See Email reports and alerts.
Critical values
When a reported result is life-threatening, it must reach the doctor or patient quickly and the call must be documented.
- Open the order. The Flag critical value panel appears once the sample is being processed (imaging: once the scan is done).
- Tap Flag critical value.
- In Notified to, enter who you told and their role, for example “Dr Sharma (referring physician)”. Confirm read-back with them.
- Leave Time notified empty to use the current time, or enter when the call was made.
- Tap Save critical value call. Your name and the time are stamped on the order, and pathologists / radiologists, the administrator and the quality team are alerted.
Tip: Record the result value itself in the order notes or in the Critical Value Communication checklist.
The notification is shown on the order and written to the audit log, so you can show assessors when each critical value was communicated.
Recording a critical value needs a role that can process reports (lab technician, pathologist, radiologist, lab manager or a full-access role). A critical order cannot be Verified until who was notified is recorded.
Saving it also sends an instant alert in the app, by push and by email to the verifiers of that department, administrators, the quality manager and the medical director. See Email reports and alerts.
Tip: Pair this with the Critical Value Communication checklist from the Diagnostic Laboratory pack. See Protocol checklists.