WHILE there is never a good day to experience a medical emergency, there is, apparently, a day that is extra bad for it - and that is a Friday.
A new study has revealed that patients admitted to hospital for surgery on the last day of the working week are 10% more likely to die, with the alarming statistic applying to those undergoing both emergency and elective operations.
The discovery was made by researchers at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, who analysed data from nearly half a million patients who underwent a common surgical procedure in Ontario, Canada, between 2007 and 2019.
Researchers assessed short-term (30 days), intermediate (90 days), and long-term (one year) outcomes for patients following their operation, including deaths, surgical complications and length of hospital stay.
They found patients undergoing surgery immediately before the weekend were 5% more likely to experience complications, be re-admitted or die within 30 days.
Risk of death was 9% more likely at 30 days among those who underwent surgery at the end of the week, 10% at three months and 12% after a year.
The researchers believe the higher death rates are due to patients in need of treatment closer to the weekends being more likely to be sicker, but conceded a 'weekend effect' may also exist, where a lack of senior staff operating on Fri vs Mon could also play a role.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 11 Mar 25
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