Operation scheduled for the weekend? Reschedule to make sure you survive your hospital stay!

by FSP Health team, 30 May 2013

Heard of the ‘hospital weekend curse'? Turns out there's more than a nugget of truth to it. Because a new study from Imperial College in London found that it's not just the fact that senior doctors are off and hospitals are run by a skeleton staff on weekends that should have you holding off until the weeks starts before going in for a consultation. And it's even worse if you need to have an operation…

Hospitals are renowned for being severely understaffed on weekends.

This means the stressed doctor on call is less likely to give you the attention you deserve, says NJ.com.

That’s why surgery on Saturdays and Sundays carries an 82% higher mortality rate than if you were operated on during the week.

Now researchers have found that the curse of the weekend’ extends backwards through the week, says IOL Lifestyle.

Warning: The hospital weekend curse extends back to surgery performed earlier in the week!

This means the highest death rates following surgical operations are on Thursdays and Fridays, as you’ll have a lower chance of receiving quality post-operative care over the weekend.

Added to this, if you need to go in for routine surgery, you have a 44% lower risk of dying from complications if your operation’s scheduled for a Monday!

The overall risk of death following surgery is still low, but this variation is ‘unacceptable’, says PharmaTimes.

That’s because the first 48 hours after an operation are often the most critical period of care for surgery patients.

So if you have an operation coming up, check what day it’s been scheduled for – don’t be afraid to reschedule for a ‘safer’ day.

Here’s a way to shorten your hospital stay just by checking the colour of the solution in your IV drip!

Then don’t forget that you can cut your hospital stay in half by taking Riboflavin or vitamin B2 after surgery.

This will help you heal faster after surgery as it helps your body handle the stress you’re going through, says FSPHealth.

You can check if there’s vitamin B2 in your IV drip just by seeing if the colour of the solution is yellow.

It’s a great way to make sure you’re booked out of hospital faster and functioning with optimal health sooner!

Tags: hospital, hospital weekend curse, surgery, operation, shorten your hospital stay, colour of solution in your iv drip

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