Why You Should Never Have Surgery in July
July is here, and there is one thing you should not want to do on your summer vacation–have surgery. Other than the fact that it can interfere with time spent at the beach, getting surgery in July is more dangerous than in other months. The mortality rate in teaching hospitals is a full 10% higher in July than in other months, according to a study appearing in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (Volume 25, Number 8 (2010), 774-779, DOI: 10.1007/s11606-010-1356-3). This increase in deaths is not due to errors in surgery. It turns out that July is when the new crop of medical residents start working in the hospitals. The deaths are due to errors in prescribing medication.
