I read an article in the Sunday paper today (The Virginian-Pilot, 6 June 2010). The title reads, "Avoid teaching hospitals in July. Trust us." Those of us in the medical field have said this for years, but jokingly because it is when new residents, fresh out of medical school, begin their training.It appears that it there are increased errors in teaching hospitals during this month as the new "doctors" begin to learn their career trade.
You don't need to avoid all hospitals, just teaching hospitals. This is often referred to as the "July Effect." There really aren't any studies that actually prove this, but several studies show an association. An increase in errors are not seen outside the h0spital nor is it found in non-teaching hospitals.
The Wall Street Journal and the Huffington Post also have recent articles which states the errors occur more often in July in teaching hospitals.
