Profession

Sports come before emergency care

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 6, 2006

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Men's visits to the emergency department increase significantly after televised sporting events, according to a study presented in October at the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians in New Orleans.

Over three years, a researcher examined ED registration patterns at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore after 796 sporting events. The number of men seeking emergency care increased after all the sporting events.

There were about 50% more men in the ED after a professional football game than during the game. After a baseball game, 30% to 40% more men sought care.

A study in the October 2005 Annals of Emergency Medicine found that when the Boston Red Sox were winning pivotal games in their postseason run in 2004, visits to Boston EDs dipped as much as 15%. Fans apparently thought it was more important to watch their team on TV than worry about charging off to the hospital, the study found.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/11/06/prbf1106.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn