Frequency of perinatal transfer by day of the week and holidays.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the pattern of obstetric transfers to a rural tertiary center relative to weekends and holidays.

METHODS

A 2-year retrospective cohort study.

RESULTS

A total of 903 patients were received in transfer over the study period. Tuesday was the most frequent day (17.4%) for transfer and Sunday was the least frequent day (9.2%). Friday was the most frequent day for transfer of patients who did not deliver (18.6%) and Sunday the least frequent day for transfer (7.6%). Subset analysis by delivery status found no statistical difference in the frequency of transfer by delivery status and day of the week (p = 0.28). Tuesday had the highest mean at 1.51 +/- 1.13 and Sunday had the lowest mean at 0.8 +/- 0.89. No difference in transfer volume by day of the week was observed by ANOVA (p = 0.25). The number of transfers occurring around the 7 days surrounding the six major holidays averaged 7.67 +/- 3.63, which did not differ significantly from the weekly average of 8.59 +/- 2.74 (p = 0.29).

CONCLUSION

There is no apparent bias to transfer of patients based on the day of the week or holidays. Individual assessment by regional centers may assist in planning for staffing of transport services and resources.