Abstract: Objective: To explore the effect of the multi-department cooperative management on shortening the time before analyzing the Turnaround Time (TAT) of inpatients' emergency specimens. Methods: A multi-department project improvement expert panel was established. Three feasible schemes, including information system improvement, personnel performance management and visual management, were identified through the cross-sectional survey, key factor analysis, brainstorming, and decision matrix analysis. The TAT data before improvement project (May 2017) and after improvement project (May 2018) were compared to detect the effect of the multi-department cooperative management. Result: The median time for analyzing and testing TAT was decreased from 43.79 min to 23.64 min after improvement project, successfully achieving the preset goal of ≤26 min. Median values of the tiem from starting to collect, time from collecting to transport, and time from sending to receive decreased to 7.21, 9.97, and 6.46 min, respectively, from 13.85, 18.36, and 11.58 min after improvement project., and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). Conclusion: Multi-department collaborative management is conducive to enhance communication and work efficiency, make most use of resources, and shorten the turnaround time before emergency specimen analysis for inpatients.

Key words: multi-department cooperation; emergency inspection; Turnaround Time; quality improvement; Hospital Information System