Air date: July 11, 2010

Host: Barbara Lewis

Email
Share this segment
Download MP3

Interview: David Crabb, MD, Chairman, Department of Medicine, IU School of Medicine
Co-host, Sound Medicine

One bit of medical lore that’s been repeated for years is that July is the most dangerous month to be a hospital patient because that’s when the newly minted residents are on duty, alone, for the first time.

A new study seems to support the legend. Researchers at UC San Diego found a 10% spike in deaths caused by medication errors during the month of July.

The disparity went away when teaching hospitals were factored out of the mix.

Sound Medicine’s Dr. David Crabb has been closely involved with educating new doctors for many years, so when I asked him what he thought of this study, he told me he found it interesting, but that he still had serious misgivings about taking it seriously.

Additional Resources:

• More on the UC San Diego study looking at medical residents and hospital errors in July.