Dr. Raj Satkunasivam from Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, who led the study, mentioned: “Patients who underwent surgery immediately preceding the weekend had a significantly increased risk of complications, readmissions, and mortality compared with those treated after the weekend.”
“It is crucial for health care systems to evaluate how this occurrence may affect their practices to guarantee that patients receive excellent care irrespective of the day.”
In the course of the study, researchers examined data on nearly
30,000 patients who had an operation in Ontario, Canada from 2007 to 2019.
Patients who had surgery on a Friday experienced a nine percent higher chance of death 30 days post-operation, 10 percent at 90 days, and 12 percent at one year.
In addition to the reduced number of senior staff available on a Friday and into the weekend, researchers have pointed out additional factors contributing to the conclusions reached in their study.
The study was groundbreaking (Getty Stock Photo)
Researchers noted: “Furthermore, weekend teams may be less familiar with the patients than the weekday team that was previously managing care.”
However, they emphasize that more data collection is necessary to yield a definitive conclusion.
“Further study is required to comprehend the variations in care that may support these observations and to ensure that patients receive high-quality care, irrespective of the day of the week,” experts state.
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