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.
Service d'Accueil et de Traitement des Urgences and Département d'Information Médicale, Hôpital de la Conception, Marseille, France. pgerbeaux@mail.ap-hm.fr
P
P
Gerbeaux
V
V
Ledoray
H
H
Liauthaud
D
D
Torro
K
K
Takun
R
R
Thirree
P
P
Nelh
P
P
Jean
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