'Saturday flit, short sit'--a strong influence of a superstition on the timing of hospital discharges?
'Saturday Flit, Short Sit' is a phrase recognised by 58% of our patient population. The superstition implies that leaving hospital on a Saturday is bad luck and will mean early re-admission to hospital. 13.7% of all patients interviewed would refuse to go home on a Saturday and 40% of doctors would allow postponement of discharge because of the patients superstition.
Keane
E M
EM
Mercer's Institute for Research on Ageing, St. James's Hospital, Dublin.
O'Leary
P
P
Walsh
J B
JB
D006801:Humans; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010359:Patient Readmission; D013483:Superstitions