Justification for the Creation of a Client Services Call Center Based on Results of a Laboratory Staff Communication Survey and Review of Laboratory Medicine Fellow Call Log

• Published in: American journal of clinical pathology Vol. 150; no. suppl_1; p. S159
• Main Authors: Erdman, Patrick, Forest, Stefanie, Carroll, Brittany, Fenelus, Maly, Moore, Lauren, Babady, Ngolela Esther, Carlow, Dean, Goss, Cheryl, Peerschke, Ellinor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 21.09.2018
• Subjects: Call centers; Communication; Laboratories; Medical laboratories; Medicine
• ISSN: 0002-9173; 1943-7722
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcp/aqy112.371

Abstract Many clinical laboratories struggle with how to appropriately handle incoming calls from clinical staff. At our institution, accessioning medical laboratory assistants (MLAs) receive calls from clinical staff who call the general laboratory number. MLAs answer most of these calls but forward calls to technologists or the laboratory medicine fellow on-call when they are unable to answer the question. In addition, the on-call laboratory medicine fellow carries a pager and is contacted either by the laboratory staff or directly by the clinicians with questions. Our laboratory medicine department is considering the creation of a call center to streamline this process. To better understand the utility of such a call center, we conducted a communication survey for laboratory staff and reviewed the laboratory medicine fellow call log. The survey was distributed to all laboratory staff and consisted of basic demographic questions (position, years of experience, etc), types of calls, estimation of time spent on calls, and several questions on how the calls impact perceived performance and workflow. Forty-five percent of the MLAs completed the survey. The top three calls received by MLAs were (1) request for pneumatic tube carriers to transport specimens to lab, (2) inquiries regarding specimen receipt by lab, and (3) request to add on a test. On average, greater than 45% of the MLAs surveyed felt that they received greater than 10 calls per hour. The survey further assessed how the call volume impacts perceived MLA performance and well-being. Among the MLAs, 28% reported feeling overwhelmed, 22% felt stressed, 28% felt frustrated, and 16% felt concerned for making mistakes. To review laboratory medicine fellow call volume and type, a call-log was created using Microsoft Excel on a shared network drive. Fellows were expected to log all calls to include date of call, patient information, fellow name, reason for call, and resolution. A total of 148 calls were logged over a 4-month period, and two-thirds of calls represented inquiries about how to order a laboratory test. Our data show that the high volume of calls received by the clinical laboratory has resulted in MLAs feeling overwhelmed and can have a dramatic impact on workflow, including accuracy and efficiency of specimen accessioning. Furthermore, many of the calls received by the MLAs and the on-call fellows could be handled by a client service staff in a call center. Given the call volume, types of calls, and impact on laboratory staff, we believe these data justify the creation of a call center. These findings may be useful to other clinical laboratories who share similar challenges with laboratory communication.