Medical student effect on emergency department length of stay.
OBJECTIVE
Taking advantage of a medical student strike, the authors evaluated the effect of medical students on emergency department length of stay (LOS).


METHODS
ED LOS and patient characteristics were compared for the 4-day strike period and the same days the week before. Proportions were compared by using the Mann-Whitney U test and the chi(2) test (P <.05).


RESULTS
Eight hundred thirty-one patients were studied. There was no significant difference between the study and control periods for the general patient characteristics or laboratory or radiologic investigations. Median LOS decreased by 24% (31 minutes, 95% confidence interval [CI] 24 to 38) during the strike (110 minutes [95% CI 65 to 178] to 79 minutes [95% CI 40 to 135], P <10(-4)).


CONCLUSIONS
Medical students lengthen ED LOS. This should be explained to patients and should be considered as one justification for increasing medical staff in the teaching ED.
Gerbeaux
P
P
Service d'Accueil et de Traitement des Urgences and Département d'Information Médicale, Hôpital de la Conception, Marseille, France. pgerbeaux@mail.ap-hm.fr
Ledoray
V
V
Liauthaud
H
H
Torro
D
D
Takun
K
K
Thirree
R
R
Nelh
P
P
Jean
P
P
D000328:Adult; D004526:Efficiency; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013996:Time and Motion Studies