During the first wave of Covid-19 in France, in spring 2020, healthcare institution's laboratory had to adapt itself quickly to the growing demand for emergency biology, in particular by reorganizing their POCT analyzers: redeployment of analyzers and/or new installations. In order to analyze this management, a subgroup of 15 hospital biologists from the SFBC Working Group "Biochemical markers of Covid-19" sent, in fall 2020, an on-line survey to French hospital laboratories using POCT. Answers analysis (n = 86) shows a territorial disparity related to the severity of the first wave: increased activity essentially in red zones, management of unexpected situations, training of additional nursing staff for 40 % of the laboratories... The survey also showed simplification of aspects related to accreditation those periods of health crisis. An additional survey, carried out in the spring of 2021, showed good overall satisfaction of the healthcare services (n = 139) concerning the services provided by biology in the POCT sector. Because of their great adaptation capacity, the laboratories and their POCT-teams have played a key role in the management of the first wave of Covid-19 in France. However, the success of these organizations requires an essential collaboration between laboratories and healthcare services. The results of this survey are fundamental in the context of the prolongation of the pandemia throughout the world with a POCT sector appearing to be growing.
Keywords: ARS; Agence régionale de santé; CH; CHU; CNBH; COREB; Centre hospitalier; Centre hospitalier universitaire; Collègue national de biochimie des hôpitaux; Coordination opérationnelle du risque épidémique et biologique; Covid-19; EBMD; EFR; EPI; Examen de biologie médicale délocalisée; GHT; GT; Groupe de travail; Groupement hospitalier de territoire; IADE; IDE; Infirmière anesthésiste diplômée d’État; Infirmière diplômée d’État; PMA; POCT; Poste médical avancé; RGPD; Règlement général sur la protection des données; SFBC; SIL; SNBH; SRAS; Société française de biochimie clinique; Syndicat national des biologistes des hôpitaux; Syndrome respiratoire aigu sévère; Système informatique de laboratoire; TLM; Technicien de laboratoire médical; crisis management; national survey; Épreuve fonctionnelle respiratoire; Équipement de protection individuel.