Kids More Likely to Live If Admitted to Hospital at Weekends

A major new study that analyzed more than half a million admissions reveals that children are not likely to die after being admitted to hospital at the weekend compared to weekdays.

Pediatric care may even be better on Saturdays and Sundays, when it appears there are slightly fewer deaths and a smaller chance of patients needing to be readmitted.

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‘Pediatric care in Scotland may actually be better during Saturday and Sunday as Monday is the busiest day of the week, while Saturday is the quietest.’

Lead author Dr Steve Turner, a senior lecturer at Aberdeen University and a member of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, said: "There are increasing pressures on hospital services but relatively little is known about the numbers of pediatric admissions."

The study, which uses data from more than half a million admissions, also found Monday was the busiest day of the week with 16 percent of admissions, while Saturday was the quietest with 12 percent.

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Children admitted on Friday were most likely to be discharged on the same day while Sunday admissions were least likely. An expert group is currently looking into seven day working in Scotland and Dr Turner said pediatric services should remain part of their remit.

This study is aimed to help plug this gap in knowledge and help us identify how any increase in demand on pediatric services might be managed in future.

Source: Medindia