Scientific-statistical study in England shows how dying in hospitals is easier on weekends.
MILAN – Do you have to undergo a non-urgent surgical operation? Avoid doing it on the weekend. At least if you're hospitalized in England. People who have non-emergency surgery in UK public hospitals at weekends have a higher risk of dying from 82% than those who have surgery on a Monday. It is the shocking revelation of a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
THE ENGLISH STUDY– The study was carried out by the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London, which analyzed statistics on post-surgery deaths occurring within 30 days of surgery in patients admitted between 2008 and 2011. Of the 4.1 million people admitted to a public health facility in Great Britain to undergo surgery of their choice, 27,582 died (0.67 per cent, a low margin). About 4.5 percent of the 4.1 million were hospitalized over the weekend: thanks to a statistical comparison of deaths that occurred later, it was found that these patients were 82 percent more likely to not leave that hospital alive than those who were operated on on a Monday. Among those hospitalized on Friday, the percentage of probable post-operative complications that led to the patient's death stands at +44 percent, again compared to Monday. As the week progresses, each day the risk increases progressively.
THE CAUSES OF THE RISK - IDr Paul Aylin and colleagues - the authors of the study - attribute these shocking revelations to two main factors. The first: the quality of care dedicated to patients decreases significantly during the weekend, as the medical and nursing staff are reduced quite drastically, and the on-call staff on those days are overworked, with less time, more res
