Weather patients will come?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether weather conditions affect emergency department (ED) attendance and admissions from the ED.


METHODS
A retrospective observational study in a large metropolitan ED.


METHODS
ED attendance (total and via ambulance) and admissions to hospital from ED, as a function of weather variables.


RESULTS
On warm, dry, sunny and good weather days there were significantly more ED attendances in total than there were on cool, rainy, dull and bad weather days, respectively (P < or = 0.001). There were significant correlations between ED attendance and temperature (r = 0.36, P < 0.001), rainfall (r = - 0.20, P < 0.001) and hours of sunshine (r = 0.17, P = 0.001). Attendance via ambulance was not affected by weather variables. Admissions from the ED were positively correlated with temperature (r = 0.15, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with rainfall (r = - 0.12, P = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
As there is a clear relationship between weather conditions and ED attendance, incorporating meteorological forecasting into emergency medicine training may improve ED scheduling. To improve the morale of ED staff coping with an onslaught of patients on good weather days, the ED environment should simulate sunny weather, with swimming pools, sun lamps, palm trees and Beach Boys music.
Ou
Daniel K B
DK
Austin Health, PO Box 5555, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia. Daniel.Ou@austin.org.au
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The-Phung
TP
Taylor
David McD
DM
D001315:Australia; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D014887:Weather