What Is the ‘July Effect’? Ten Percent Increase in Errors Reported in Hospitals

Have you experienced poor medical care at a hospital in July? Well, you are not alone—it is a trend known as the ‘July Effect’, and it is often the result of the arrival of new interns and residents.

CNN recently had a piece about the trend, written by Anthony Youn, M.D., a plastic surgeon in Metro Detroit. According to Youn, medical students graduate in June and begin their first year of residency training in July.

This can lead to complications, as many of the residents have no idea what they are doing.

“Like most interns, I arrived with four years of medical school under my belt, an M.D. after my name, and virtually no practical knowledge of medicine,” Youn wrote. “Although I wore the long white coat of a doctor, I kept my pockets packed with condensed medical manuals that we called our ‘peripheral brains’ to make up for the lack of knowledge held in my actual brain. Thank God for these manuals. Otherwise I would have been part of ‘The July Effect’.”

Youn goes on to tell a story about how on his first night on call, he was asked by a nurse to assist on a call. During the process of this call, he noticed that a patient was suffering from a cardiac emergency and he attempted to perform cardioversion also known as electric shocks.

As Youn was going to begin the procedure, he was stopped by a nurse who noticed that he had the paddles in the wrong area over the patient—if he would have gone through with the treatment, there is a possibility he would have shocked the patient’s liver.

What Should I Do If I Am the Victim of Medical Malpractice?

It is distressing to hear a doctor warn people about the potential for medical malpractice. Human error is among the most common medical negligence issues in hospitals and nursing homes.

If a healthcare provider allows someone who is inexperienced to aid you, you should not have to suffer as a result. This is reckless and unacceptable.

You should not have to endure negligence while in the care of a medical provider. For more information, you can also visit our Facebook page, LinkedIn page, Google+ page or our Twitter page. Contact us today.

Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. – Bergen County Injury Lawyers

KGG’s Corner: According to the Journal of General Internal Medicine, there is a 10 percent increase in hospital errors in July.