Individuals who can choose their surgery date might find that selecting a Monday is a safer bet than opting for a Friday, a new study suggests.
The risk of complications or death is five percent higher for patients who undergo surgery just before the weekend than for those who have their procedures earlier in the week, a team of researchers from Canada and the U.S. found.
The outcome discrepancy is known as “the weekend effect,” which refers to “the potential for worse patient outcomes during the weekends, compared with weekdays,” the authors wrote in their study, Postoperative Outcomes Following Preweekend Surgery. They say in surgery, this concept may also apply to those undergoing surgery immediately before the weekend, who receive postoperative care during the weekend….