Best Time To Have Surgery At A Hospital
Mornings are the best time to have an operation, according to a team of researchers at the Duke University in Durham NC, USA. Their study was published in the journal Quality and Safety in Healthcare.
The team analysed over 90,159 operations carried out at their university’s hospital since 2000 and found that 9 a.m. to noon was the best time have an operation, while the worst time was in the afternoon between 3 to 4 p.m. where patients are more likely to experience unexpected adverse events related to their anesthesia.
Lead researcher Dr Melanie Wright said “Health care is a 24-hour-a-day business, it is not unexpected that factors such as fatigue, circadian rhythms, personnel shift changes and scheduling may affect patient care over the course of a day.”
She also mentioned that late afternoon is a time when changes in the teams that administer anesthesia during surgery coincide with natural circadian rhythm lows. The circadian rhythm serves as the body’s internal clock that regulates sleep, brain wave activity and other bodily functions. Circadian lows occurring around 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and again at 3 a.m. to 5 a.m may affect human performance of complex tasks such as those required in anesthesia care. Changes in anesthesia care teams usually occur around 7 am and again between 4 pm and 6 pm. End of day fatigue, a circadian low point, and changes in care team are all occurring around 3 pm to 6 pm and may be interacting in a way that affects patient care. natural changes in the body’s pain levels during the day and staff fatigue could be involved.
Source : Time of Surgery Influences Rate of Adverse Health Events Due to Anesthesia - Duke University Medical Center News; Quality and Safety in Health Care 2006;15:258-263
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