Voltz Raymond, Kamps Robert, Greinwald Ralf, Hellmich Martin, Hamacher Stefanie, Becker Gerhild, Kuhr Kathrin, Gaertner Jan
Department of Palliative Care, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Department of Palliative Care, Medical Clinic of St Katharinen Hospital, Frechen, Germany.
BMJ. 2014 Dec 16;349:g7370. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g7370.
To compare the mortality of patients in a palliative care unit on working days with that on weekends and public holidays.
Retrospective database study.
Palliative care unit in Germany.
All admissions to palliative care unit between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2008.
The impact of day type (working days or weekends and public holidays) on mortality was analysed using Poisson regression models.
A total of 2565 admitted patients and 1325 deaths were recorded. Of the deaths, 448 (33.8%) occurred on weekends and public holidays. The mortality rate on weekends and public holidays was 18% higher than that on working days (mortality rate ratio 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.32; P=0.005).
Patients in the palliative care unit were at higher risk of dying on weekends and public holidays. In the absence of a prospective study, the exact reasons for this correlation are unclear.
比较姑息治疗病房患者在工作日与周末及公共假日的死亡率。
回顾性数据库研究。
德国的姑息治疗病房。
1997年1月1日至2008年12月31日期间所有入住姑息治疗病房的患者。
使用泊松回归模型分析日类型（工作日或周末及公共假日）对死亡率的影响。
共记录了2565例入院患者和1325例死亡病例。在这些死亡病例中，448例（33.8%）发生在周末及公共假日。周末及公共假日的死亡率比工作日高18%（死亡率比为1.18，95%置信区间为1.05至1.32；P=0.005）。
姑息治疗病房的患者在周末及公共假日死亡风险更高。由于缺乏前瞻性研究，这种相关性的确切原因尚不清楚。
