Abstract
Objective
The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of Friday the 13th on hospital admission
rates and emergency department (ED) visits.
Methods
This was a retrospective chart review of all ED visits on Friday the 13th from November
13, 2002, to December 13, 2009, from 6 hospital-based EDs. Thirteen unlikely conditions
were evaluated as well as total ED volumes. As a control, the Friday before and after
and the month before and after were used. χ2 Analysis and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used for each variable, as appropriate.
Results
A total of 49 094 patient encounters were evaluated. Average ED visits for Friday
the 13th were not increased compared with the Friday before and after and the month
before. However, compared with the month after, there were fewer ED visits on Friday
the 13th (150.1 vs 134.7, P = .011). Of the 13 categories evaluated, only penetrating trauma was noted to have
an increase risk associated with Friday the 13th (odds ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence
interval, 1.04-2.61). No other category was noted to have an increase risk on Friday
the 13th compared with the control dates.
Conclusions
Although the fear of Friday the 13th may exist, there is no worry that an increase
in volume occurs on Friday the 13th compared with the other days studies. Of 13 different
conditions evaluated, only penetrating traumas were seen more often on Friday the
13th. For those providers who work in the ED, working on Friday the 13th should not
be any different than any other day.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 22, 2011
Accepted:
June 15,
2011
Received in revised form:
June 10,
2011
Received:
March 2,
2011
Footnotes
☆Funding: None.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
