ABSTRACT
In the end of 2019, we were startled by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a virus that causes symptoms like other respiratory viruses. Therefore, the correct diagnosis through laboratory tests became necessary. However, there are many tests available on the market, and laboratories must choose the ones to employ. This study aimed to highlight the ways clinical analysis laboratories of the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, choose each type of test to provide. This was a quantitative, retrospective study. The survey was carried out through an electronic form at the laboratories that were providing COVID-19 exams from 03/2020 to 02/2021. The form was applied in two phases. The first questions about the exams were carried out in the establishment itself, and the second in the outsourced exams. They were asked about the importance of reasons for choosing these tests from zero to five for some parameters. The analysis was simply descriptive. Of the 42 invited, 13 laboratories (31%) participated in the research;of these, 12 performed tests in their own laboratory, four only performed in their laboratory, and 8, in addition to performing in their laboratory, also outsourced, and 1 only outsourced. The most important choice reasons were performance characteristics and validation of the service itself, respectively. The nine laboratories that outsourced the tests presented the methodology used for diagnosis as the most important parameter. The parameters: partner support laboratory, registration within Anvisa, performance characteristics, and reliability in the partner laboratory were very relevant. The price was of average importance in both phases. © 2022, Conselho Federal de Medicina. All rights reserved.