Are heart attacks deadlier on weekends? Evidence of weekend effect in Brazil

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The
• Weekend hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may be associated with differential patient outcomes.
• Understanding the
• weekend effect
• is crucial for improving healthcare quality and equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between weekend admission and in-hospital mortality for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Brazil.
• To determine if the day of hospital admission influences mortality rates for AMI patients.
• To identify potential disparities in hospital care quality related to admission timing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from Brazil's Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS) for AMI admissions between 2008 and 2018.
• Employed multivariable logistic regression models to analyze in-hospital mortality.
• Controlled for patient demographics, hospital characteristics, and temporal factors (year, hospital-fixed effects).

Main Results:

• A statistically significant
• weekend effect
• was observed.
• Patients admitted on weekends had a 14% higher likelihood of in-hospital death compared to weekday admissions, after adjusting for covariates.
• Results indicate potential variations in hospital care quality depending on the day of admission.

Conclusions:

• Weekend admissions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Brazil are associated with increased in-hospital mortality.
• The findings suggest a need to address potential inequities in healthcare delivery across different days of the week.
• Further research is recommended to explore the underlying mechanisms of the weekend effect and inform policy interventions.