A study conducted by Imperial College London has found that patients are more likely to die if they have surgery towards the end of the week.
The report on elective procedures, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at all non-emergency operations performed by the NHS in England between 2008 and 2011. This amounted to some four million procedures.
The results show that the overall risk of morbidity from planned operations is low. However, there is a “wide variation” in survival rates throughout the week. Those who undergo surgery on a Monday are far more likely to survive, with the level of risk increasing each day thereafter, making the weekend the most dangerous time to undergo surgery.
Professor Antony Narula, from the Royal College of Surgeons, said “it is not acceptable that there should be such a wide variation in the mortality rates following elective surgery, according to the day of the week the operation takes place.”
According to the statistics, patients who have procedure on a Friday are 44% more likely to die than patients who have an operation on a Monday. Matters are even worse at the weekend, as the risk of death on Saturdays and Sundays is 82% greater than on a Monday. The paper suggests this can be attributed to poor aftercare at the weekend, as there are fewer doctors and nurses on duty.
Lead author of the study, Dr Paul Aylin, explained that “the first 48 hours following a procedure is most critical and when things can go wrong, such as bleeding and infections. If you don’t have the right staff, this is likely to contribute to things being missed.”
This trend supports previous research which highlighted that people are at greater risk of death if admitted at the weekend for an emergency procedure.
Does this sound like a familiar story?
If you or your loved one has been harmed because of a lack of hospital staff at the weekend, you should contact a solicitor about the treatment you received. If medical professionals did not provide an acceptable standard of care, causing you to suffer complications, there could be grounds for a medical negligence compensation claim. To find out more, get in touch with us at Glynns today.
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