Study: Medical errors may not increase during July, contrary to popular belief
A study published in the September 2009 Journal of the American College of Surgeons has concluded that medical errors do not in fact increase during the month of July specifically in a Level I trauma center. Researchers tested the popularly held belief that during the months of July and August the amount of medical errors increases because that is the time of year during which new medical residents begin practicing at hospitals around the country.
To test this belief, researchers reviewed data from 12,525 blunt trauma patients by month and 14,798 by quarter over a five-year period from an academic, tertiary Level I trauma care center. Results showed that the month or quarter of the year during which patients were admitted had no correlation to mortality rates.
Click here to read the full abstract from the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Readers, have you ever personally felt that the “July phenomenon” exists at your facility?
About the Author: Heather Comak is a Managing Editor at HCPro, Inc., where she is the editor of the monthly publication Briefings on Patient Safety, as well as patient safety-related books, webcasts, and audio conferences. She is also is the Assistant Director of the Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals (www.accreditationprofessional.com) and manages Patient Safety Monitor (www.patientsafetymonitor.com), of which this blog is a part.
Contact Heather by e-mailing hcomak@hcpro.com
