The beginning of July marks a period of change in the medical profession. New doctors, fresh out of medical school, arrive at teaching hospitals to begin their residencies.
It’s long been rumored that this transition, with fairly inexperienced doctors taking on new responsibilities and independence, has a negative impact on patients. It’s called the "July Effect." And, in fact, it’s often whispered that this is the worst month to get sick.
A recent study at Dartmouth Medical School aims to find out if the July Effect is real by analyzing outcomes for hip fracture patients at teaching hospitals versus non teaching hospitals.
Kevin Spratt is a methodologist and statistician in the department of orthopedics at Dartmouth Medical School. He co-authored the study and spoke with VPR’s Jane Lindholm about the findings.