Is it safe to have an ophthalmic emergency in July?

To deter-mine whether house staff experience affects the quality of acute ophthalmic care delivered in an emergency room at one teaching hospital.

The medical records of 360 patients who were seen by first-year ophthalmology residents in the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute emergency department were retrospectively reviewed. Records reviewed included 180 patients seen between July 15, 2002, and August 14, 2002 (the beginning of the training year), and 180 patients seen between June 1, 2003, and June 30, 2003 (the end of the training year).

The rate of unscheduled return visits to the emergency department at the beginning and end of the training year was 6.1% (11 of 180) and 5.0% (9 of 180), respectively (P = .82). Agreement between initial and final diagnoses occurred in 96% of patients (108 of 113) at the beginning of the training year and 98% of patients (84 of 86) at the end of the training year (P = .70).

There was no difference in the quality of medical care delivered by first-year ophthalmology residents at the beginning and end of the training year.