ABSTRACT
Resumen Introducción y objetivos: el "efecto fin de semana" se define como un incremento en la mortalidad en pacientes que ingresan a centros asistenciales durante el fin de semana o días festivos. Este estudio se realizó para evaluar el posible "efecto fin de semana" en pacientes con hemorragia digestiva superior (HDS) con base en una experiencia de 3 años en un hospital de alta complejidad en Latinoamérica. Materiales y métodos: estudio observacional descriptivo realizado entre 2016 y 2018. Se describieron las características demográficas, factores de riesgo, síntomas de ingreso, hallazgos endoscópicos y diferentes intervenciones médicas. Además, se compararon los tiempos de realización de endoscopia, estancia hospitalaria y mortalidad entre los pacientes admitidos durante el fin de semana frente a días entre semana. Resultados: el análisis incluyó 274 pacientes en fines de semana y festivos (39,1 %) frente a pacientes en días entre semana (60,9 %). La mediana de edad fue de 68,5 años (rango intercuartílico [RIC]: 53-79), el 56,6 % fueron hombres. Las manifestaciones más comunes fueron melenas y hematemesis. La úlcera péptica fue el diagnóstico endoscópico más común (48,7 %). Los tiempos de estancia hospitalaria (7,38 ± 8,7 frente a 7,38 ± 7,1; p = 0,234) y mortalidad (1,9 % frente a 4,2 %; p = 0,274) fueron similares en ambos grupos. Se realizó una mayor cantidad de endoscopias después de las 24 horas en pacientes ingresados el fin de semana (19,6 % frente a 9,6 %; p = 0,041). Conclusiones: en esta cohorte no se presentó el "efecto fin de semana", no se observan diferencias en relación con la estancia hospitalaria, ni con la mortalidad en pacientes ingresados por HDS.
Abstract Introduction and Objectives: The "Weekend Effect" refers to an increase in mortality of patients admitted to health care centers on weekends or holidays. This study was performed to assess the impact of weekend admissions in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) based on a three year-experience in a high-complexity hospital in Latin America. Materials and Methods: A descriptive observational study was performed between 2016 and 2018. Data on demographic characteristics, risk factors, symptoms, endoscopic findings, and medical treatment was described. Moreover, the time to perform an endoscopy, the length of hospital stay, and the mortality level among patients admitted on weekends were compared with the same factors during the week. Results: The analysis included 274 patients admitted during the weekend and holidays (39.1%) versus patients admitted during the week (60.9%). The median age was 68.5 years old (interquartile range [IQR]: 53-79), and 56.6% were men. The most common conditions were tarry stools and hematemesis. Peptic ulcer was the most common endoscopic diagnosis (48.7%). Similar results were found in the length of hospital stay (7,38 ± 8,7 versus 7,38 ± 7,1; p = 0,234) and mortality groups (1,9 % versus 4,2 %; p = 0,274). A higher number of endoscopies 24 hours after the patient was admitted was performed (19,6 % versus 9,6 %; p = 0,041). Conclusions: The "Weekend Effect" was not present in the analyzed group, and there are no significant differences related to the length of hospital stay or the mortality of patients diagnosed with UGIB.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Therapeutics , Endoscopy , Hemorrhage , Risk Factors , Mortality , HospitalsABSTRACT
Introduction: Several studies have found higher in-hospital mortality for admissions during weekend or off hours, known as "weekend or off-hour effect". However, data for this on Malaysian populations is limited. This study was conducted to analyze the 3-year mortality trend in a secondary hospital and its relation to time and date of admission. Methods: The clinical data of 126,627 patients admitted to Taiping Hospital from 1st January 2008 to 31st December 2010 obtained via patient registry database of hospital was analyzed. This study compared mortality during weekdays with weekends, office hours (0800-1700) with off hours (1701-0759), and subanalysis of office hours with evening (1701-2259) or night hours (2300-0759), adjusted for age and gender. Results: Although the overall staff-to-patient ratio is improving, analyses showed a statistically significant increased risk of mortality for those patients admitted during weekends (OR = 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.14-1.31) or off hours in a weekday (OR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.57-1.78). In the comparison between time of admission, there was statistically significant increased risk of mortality for admissions during evening hours (OR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.28-1.62) and night hours (OR = 1.92; 95% CI = 1.71-2.16). Diseases of cardiovascular and respiratory system remained the top two causes of death over the three years. Conclusion: The risk of mortality is significantly higher as a result of “weekend or off-hour effect”. Recognition and intervention addressing these issues will have important implications for the healthcare system setting, hospital staffing and training, quality and timeliness of medical care delivery.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke requires consistent care, but there is concern over the "weekend effect", whereby a weekend admission results in a poor outcome. Our aim was to determine the impact of weekend admission on clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke in Korea. METHODS: The outcomes of patients admitted on weekdays and weekends were compared by analyzing data from a prospective outcome registry enrolling 1247 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to four neurology training hospitals in South Korea between September 2004 and August 2005. The primary outcome was a poor functional outcome at 3 months, defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 3-6. Secondary outcomes were 3-month mortality, use of thrombolysis, complication rate, and length of hospitalization. Shift analysis was also performed to compare overall mRS distributions. RESULTS: On weekends, 334 (26.8%) patients were admitted. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the weekday and weekend groups except for more history of heart disease and shorter admission time in weekend group. Univariate analysis revealed poor functional outcome at 3 months, 3-month mortality, complication rate, and length of hospitalization did not differ between the two groups. In addition, overall mRS distributions were comparable (p=0.865). After adjusting for baseline factors and stroke severity, weekend admission was not associated with poor functional outcome at 3 months (adjusted odds ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.74-1.50). Furthermore, none of secondary endpoints differed between the two groups in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Weekend admission was not associated with poor functional outcome than weekday admission in patients with acute ischemic stroke in this study. The putative weekend effect should be explored further by considering a wider range of hospital settings and hemorrhagic stroke.