Preprint Brief Report Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Disruption of Laboratory Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an EFLM Task Force Preparation of Labs for Emergencies (TF-PLE) Survey

Giuseppe Lippi
* ORCID logo ,
Janne Cadamuro
ORCID logo ,
Elisa Danese
ORCID logo ,
Emmanuel J Favaloro
ORCID logo ,
Julien Favresse
,
Brandon Michael Henry
,
Snezana Jovicic
,
Tomris Ozben
ORCID logo ,
Mario Plebani
ORCID logo ,
Jecko Thachil
Version 1 : Received: 21 June 2023 / Approved: 22 June 2023 / Online: 22 June 2023 (10:35:13 CEST)

How to cite: Lippi, G.; Cadamuro, J.; Danese, E.; Favaloro, E.J.; Favresse, J.; Henry, B.M.; Jovicic, S.; Ozben, T.; Plebani, M.; Thachil, J. Disruption of Laboratory Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an EFLM Task Force Preparation of Labs for Emergencies (TF-PLE) Survey. Preprints 2023, 2023061592. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.1592.v1 Lippi, G.; Cadamuro, J.; Danese, E.; Favaloro, E.J.; Favresse, J.; Henry, B.M.; Jovicic, S.; Ozben, T.; Plebani, M.; Thachil, J. Disruption of Laboratory Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an EFLM Task Force Preparation of Labs for Emergencies (TF-PLE) Survey. Preprints 2023, 2023061592. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.1592.v1

Abstract

Background: The EFLM Task Force Preparation of Labs for Emergencies (TF-PLE) created a survey that has been distributed to its members for gathering information on the key hazards experienced by European medical laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The survey was distributed to over 12,000 potential contacts (laboratory workers) via an EFLM newsletter, with responses collected between May 8 and June 8, 2023. Results: Two hundred replies were collected and examined from European laboratories. 69.7% and 78.1% of all responders said they were short on non-COVID and COVID reagents, respectively. Exactly half of respondents (50.0%) said that they could not complete all laboratory tests required for a specific period, but this figure climbed to 61.2% for COVID tests. Finally, 72.3% of respondents expressed exhaustion during the pandemic, and 61.2% reported increasing patient hostility. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on laboratory medicine in Europe. Cultural change, proactive planning, and even re-engineering in some parts of the laboratory industry may thus be necessary to prepare for future challenges.

Keywords

COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Laboratory Medicine; Survey

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Health Policy and Services

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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