Should I avoid having outpatient surgery in July?

[sara20]

I was planing on having outpatient ankle surgery done at a surgery center, but then read about the “July effect” of higher errors and complication in July from new residents arriving, and the old ones leaving. I can postpone the surgery if I want to. Is the “July effect” only in hospitals or in outpatient surgery centers to?

[thatguyjeff]

It’s mostly a myth. I personally wouldn’t worry at all. Your choice.

[don_t_ask]

Not as terse as your answer but still…Would July to Me? from Snopes.com

However, at teaching institutions where oversight of new staff is less stringent, the “July effect” is real. Moreover, it lasts not merely throughout that month but for the rest of the calendar year as well. While risk-adjusted mortality rates may rise by roughly 4 percent in the July-August period, that increase remains at between 2 and 4 percent until the New Year, resulting in 8 to 14 additional deaths per annum at a typical teaching hospital.

[Doug_K]

From the above link:

Key to the understanding that paper, however, is noting that its conclusions apply solely to teaching hospitals, institutions where residents and interns treat patients as part of their medical training. It’s therefore not true that all hospitals become a bit more dangerous in July. It’s also not true that all teaching hospitals experience this decline. As the paper noted, “In fact, the most-intensive teaching hospitals manage to avoid significant effects on mortality following this turnover” thanks to better supervision of new doctors.

[jtur88]

This, to me, seems tantamount to saying “I’ve heard that hotel fires are most frequent in Spain in July – should I cancel my plans to vacation in Spain this month?”

[Helena330]

I had major, MAJOR abdominal surgery in a teaching hospital on July 30th two years ago. I’m fine. Don’t think I’d be worrying about this.

[Pai325]

I just had surgery on July 1, with slight complications, also in a teaching hospital.

I asked before they knocked me out if the doctor was going to do it or if he was going to let a student take the reins, and everyone laughed and said the doctor himself would do it.

The complications had nothing to do with anything except my own condition, I’m home, and everything in the hospital was completely uneventful. I’d heard the same things, but I had to have the surgery as soon as I could, and everything was fine.

So I bet you’ll be fine.

[Melbourne]

So, teaching hospitals give better care than other hospitals, and even better better care in December-June?

[Parenchyma]

I think the biggest thing with possibly needing crutches or just ambulating cautiously post-op is never have an elective surgery like that during the winter. I had a knee surgery once in March and it was a nightmare. During a nasty blizzard that pretty much disabled cars, I had to abandon my car in a parking lot and labor up a steep snow-covered hill on crutches to get home. Later, manuveuring post-storm sidewalks with oncoming dogs or kids bumping my knee while in the very narrow walkways left me whimpering.

[RivkahChaya]

It sounds like your biggest risk will be from the anesthesia. If the anesthesiologist will not be a student, you should be fine.