BMJ 2015;351:h4596 (Available through NHS OpenAthens)
- Findings of an updated analysis of weekend admissions and the implications for service design.
- The three main objectives of the current analysis were to characterise the patient population admitted at weekend; examine whether, after robust adjustment for case mix, weekend admission carries an increased 30 day mortality risk compared with midweek admission; and estimate whether mortality risk differs between hospital stay at weekends and during the week.
- Key messages
- Patients admitted at the weekend are more likely to be in the highest category of risk of death
- Patients admitted on Saturday or Sunday face an increased likelihood of death even when severity of illness is accounted for
- An additional risk of death exists for admission on Monday and Friday extending the weekend effect to these two days
- Around 11 000 more patients die each year within 30 days from admission occurring between Friday and Monday compared with admission on the remaining days of the week
