Abstract for: Approach to assess factors affecting laboratory workload during a pandemic situation

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, various intervention strategies, including widespread testing, were deployed to contain the spread. Analytical laboratories in Germany conducted PCR tests, but they were unprepared for the surge in demand, leading to increased analysis times and workloads. This work is based on the assumption that a delayed PCR test result has implications for the healthcare system. The reason for such an assumption is that infection chains are only identified with a delay, and intervention strategies depend on the number of reported infected individuals. This research proposes a System Dynamics model integrating an SEIR model with a newly developed laboratory order processing model. This model elucidates the factors influencing analytical laboratory workloads and the total analysis time for PCR test orders, including machine and analyst availability. The applicability of the model is validated through the modeling of the pandemic situation in Germany at the beginning of 2022.