Patients admitted to the hospital on a weekend have a slightly higher mortality rate than patients admitted on a weekday, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
For the statistical study, researchers analyzed 39.5 million inpatient hospital stays at all non-federal U.S. facilities in 2007 and determined that patients admitted on a Saturday or Sunday were more often treated for emergencies. Patient admitted during the weekend also had a higher mortality rate than weekday patients (2.4% versus 1.8%). The length of stay of patients between weekend and weekday admissions remained the same.
Speed and type of care also varied depending on day of admission, as patients admitted on weekdays were more likely to receive major procedures and less likely to experience delays in care than weekend patients. For example, 44% of weekend patients with gastrointestinal bleeding received an endoscopy, compared with 58% of patients admitted on a weekday. Furthermore, weekday patients were more likely to undergo cardiac procedures the first day after admission than weekend patients.
It’s hard to make any quality conclusions from this study since the authors did not adjust for severity of illness. However it does make me think, if I were to be admitted to the hospital, I hope it’s during a weekday.
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