• Pamela B de Cordova, Mary L Johansen, Miguel E Martinez, and Jeannie P Cimiotti.
• Pamela B. de Cordova, PhD, RN-BC, is Assistant Professor of Nursing, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, and Research Faculty, New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, Newark. Mary L. Johansen, PhD, NE-BC, is Clinical Associate Professor, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, and Associate Director, New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, Newark. Miguel E. Martinez, MA, is Senior Institutional Research Analyst, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Jeannie P. Cimiotti, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Associate Professor and Dorothy M. Smith Endowed Chair Director, Florida Blue Center for Health Care Quality, University of Florida College of Nursing, Gainesville.
• Nurs Res. 2017 Jan 1; 66 (1): 20-27.

BackgroundPatients admitted to acute care hospitals on weekends have poorer outcomes than those admitted on weekdays, and patients admitted to hospitals for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on weekends have a higher mortality rate than those admitted during the week. Very few studies have examined weekend presentation for patients with AMI with respect to mortality in the emergency department (ED).ObjectiveThe purpose of this research was to determine if weekend and holiday presentation is associated with increased mortality in EDs among patients with AMI in New Jersey.MethodsA retrospective cohort and three data sources representing all hospitals in New Jersey, including patients 18-90 years of age who presented to the ED with symptoms of AMI from January 1, 2008 to January 31, 2010, were used. "Weekend" was defined as Saturday and Sunday, and "holiday" was defined as one of the six major U.S. holidays. Propensity score matching with probit regression was used to estimate the unbiased treatment effect of weekend/holiday presentation on mortality in the ED.ResultsA total of 1,343 patients with a diagnosis of AMI presented to 73 EDs in New Jersey. Of these, 382 (28%) presented on a weekend/holiday and 961 (72%) during weekday hours. After propensity score matching and using probit regression, weekend/holiday presentation was significantly associated with mortality (b = 0.30, 95% CI [0.03, 0.57]). Other statistically significant covariates include patient age (b = 0.03, 95% CI [0.02, 0.04], hospital technology status (b = 0.75, 95% CI [0.20, 1.30]), and nurse staffing (b = -0.08, 95% CI [-0.13, -0.04]).DiscussionWeekend/holiday presentation to the ED for AMI was associated with increased mortality. The effect may be related to the limited availability of resources on weekend/holidays compared to weekdays. Future studies should examine potential variations of resources, nursing workload, and education and expertise of healthcare providers in the ED during the weekend.

23 keywords...

hide…