Hospital "July Effect": Myth or reality?
Posted by CEP America on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 @ 08:19 AM
In virtually all teaching hospitals, July means an influx of new medical residents who are given responsibilities for varying degrees of patient care. However, in counties with a large number of teaching hospitals, July also brings a roughly 10% spike in fatal medication errors - the "July Effect".
While inexperienced medical staff" is often given as a probable source of medical errors in July, is this really the case? Should patients shun a hospital bed or emergency room until the calendar says "August 1"?
As reported in Health Blog, Wall Street Journal a 2009 study concluded the July Effect didn't hold true at one trauma center. The American Medical News also noted that July seems to be a pretty safe month for surgery.
However, in a study published in the journal Health Affairs, researchers from UC-San Diego and colleagues analyzed more than 62 million death certificates from 1979 to 2006. Their findings? After assessing competing explanations, a significant July spike was found in fatal medication errors (244,388) inside medical institutions - with the conclusion being that the July mortality spike is at least partly due to changes associated with the arrival of new medical residents.
The study authors suggest that the findings underscore the need to re-evaluate incoming residents' responsibilities, increase supervision, monitor workloads and bolster medication safety education. And with this study hitting the mainstream media via ABC News (below), there will likely be pressure for hospitals to address the issue sooner rather than later.
Any thoughts or experiences with the July Effect? Please share!
