New Evidence That Medical Negligence Increases During the Summer

Public health advocates and medical malpractice attorneys have long referred to it as the "July effect" - claims of a perceived spike in medical errors during the summer months due to changeover in medical trainees at the end of the academic year. For patients who are treated in July, that means an increased chance of a negative medical outcome after surgery, maternity or other procedures.

A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine ultimately concluded that mortality rates and errors increase and efficiency decreases in the summer due to year-end staff turnover in hospitals. After examining studies published from 1989 through 2010, the authors determined that the "larger and higher-quality" studies they examined demonstrated as much as an eight percent increase in patient death rates during July.

The lead author of the study explained the impact on academic year-end changeover to the New York Times: "It's like a football team in a high-stakes game, and in the middle of that final drive you bring out four or five players who never played in the pros before and don't know the playbook, and the players that remained get changed to positions they never played before, and they never practiced together."

Patients who suffer injury or prolonged illness due to cancer misdiagnosis, prescription errors, surgical errors, birth injuries or other medical errors should discuss their legal options with a medical malpractice lawyer. The same is true for survivors of a wrongful death due to medical malpractice. Medical harm caused by the "July effect" may be legally actionable due to provider negligence, as well as poor policy choices by health care administrators.