Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25515670›Full record

ArticleBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2014

Silent night: retrospective database study assessing possibility of "weekend effect" in palliative care.

Raymond Voltz, Robert Kamps, Ralf Greinwald, Martin Hellmich, Stefanie Hamacher, Gerhild Becker, Kathrin Kuhr, Jan Gaertner

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Clinical outcomes and mortality associated with weekend admission to psychiatric hospital.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2016
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Raymond VoltzDepartment of Palliative Care, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Robert KampsDepartment of Palliative Care, Medical Clinic of St Katharinen Hospital, Frechen, Germany.
Ralf GreinwaldDepartment of Palliative Care, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Martin HellmichInstitute of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Stefanie HamacherInstitute of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Gerhild BeckerDepartment of Palliative Care, University Hospital Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany Competence Center Palliative Care, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Kathrin KuhrInstitute of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Jan GaertnerDepartment of Palliative Care, University Hospital Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany Competence Center Palliative Care, Baden-Württemberg, Germany jan.gaertner@uniklinik-freiburg.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo compare the mortality of patients in a palliative care unit on working days with that on weekends and public holidays.

designRetrospective database study.

settingPalliative care unit in Germany. POPULATION: All admissions to palliative care unit between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2008.

main outcome measureThe impact of day type (working days or weekends and public holidays) on mortality was analysed using Poisson regression models.

resultsA 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).

conclusionPatients 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.

Indexed as

After-Hours CareHolidaysHospital MortalityPalliative CareTerminally IllFemaleGermanyHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesRisk AssessmentTime Factors

Identifiers

PMID25515670
PMCPMC4267701

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.