TAT Overview
Turnaround time (TAT) monitoring — what it measures and how to read it.
TAT (Turnaround Time) is the time from sample receipt to result release. Kanta tracks TAT at the patient level and the individual test level, so you can see exactly where delays occur.
What Kanta measures
- Patient TAT — time from patient registration (or sample receipt) to the last result for that patient
- Test TAT — time per individual test from receipt to result sign-off
- Breach rate — % of tests or patients that exceeded the TAT target
- Median vs 95th percentile — median shows typical performance; 95th percentile shows your worst-case
The TAT dashboard
Go to Lab Metrics → TAT to see:
| Panel | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Today's summary | Average TAT, breach count, samples processed |
| By test type | TAT breakdown per test (FBC, LFT, RFT, etc.) |
| By section | Haematology, Chemistry, Microbiology, etc. |
| By shift | Morning, afternoon, night shift comparison |
| Trend chart | TAT over the last 7 or 30 days |
| Breaches list | Individual patients/tests that exceeded the target |
Setting TAT targets
TAT targets are set per test type by an Admin.
- Go to Admin → TAT Targets
- Find the test type (or add a new one)
- Enter the target in minutes (e.g. 60 minutes for FBC)
- Click Save
Once set, any result taking longer than the target is flagged as a breach and highlighted in red on the dashboard.
Reception TAT
The Reception tab within Lab Metrics shows TAT from the reception desk's perspective — time from patient arrival to sample collection. This helps identify bottlenecks before samples even reach the lab.
Exporting TAT data
Click Export on any TAT view to download a CSV of the underlying records. Use this for monthly reports, accreditation submissions, or hospital management reviews.
For help, contact your Lab Manager or email [email protected].