The Medical Journal of Basrah University

Abstract

Background: Medical care may become worse during holidays and weekends, probably, due to decrease in the number of physicians, other health staff, or medical resources, in addition to increase in the number of patients admitted at this period. This may explain the negative impacts on the outcome of patients admitted to the hospital at weekends and holidays.
Aim of study: It is to shed light on the impact of holidays and weekends on the death rates among admissions in the main hospital in the governorate of Misan governorate.
Patients and methods: In this cross-sectional stud, records of all patients admitted to the Al-Sadder teaching hospital in Misan, from the first January 2015 to end December 2015 were reviewed with particular concern of, site and day of admission to the hospital, day of death, and the number of dead individuals, among admissions during holidays and other week days.
Results: A total of 34983 patients admitted to the hospital during one year, (25.4%) of them were admitted on the weekends and public holidays. Among patients in the hospital wards other than labor room & ICU, there was a statistically significant increase in death rate among admissions on the weekends and holidays compared to that on other week days, (3.5% versus 1.9%, P value > 0.0001).All-cause death, in the hospital as a whole, was found to be significantly higher on weekends and holidays than that on the other weekdays. (4.3% versus 2.6% P value > 0.0001).
Conclusion: weekends and holidays have a negative impact on the outcome of hospital admissions as reflected by higher death rates compared to that on the other week days.