Meta-Analysis
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World J Meta-Anal. May 26, 2014; 2(2): 29-35
Published online May 26, 2014. doi: 10.13105/wjma.v2.i2.29
Weekday vs weekend endoscopy: Is there a true difference in patient outcomes? A meta-analysis
Alisha M Hinds, Dina Ahmad, Kristi T Lopez, Michelle L Matteson-Kome, Matthew L Bechtold
Alisha M Hinds, Dina Ahmad, Kristi T Lopez, Michelle L Matteson-Kome, Matthew L Bechtold, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO 65212, United States
Author contributions: Hinds AM, Ahmad D and Bechtold ML were responsible for the conception and design of the study; Hinds AM, Ahmad D and Lopez KT collected the data and organized data extraction sheets; Matteson-Kome ML and Bechtold ML statistically analyzed the data; Hinds AM, Ahmad D and Lopez KT drafted the manuscript with critical revision being performed by Matteson-Kome ML and Bechtold ML.
Correspondence to: Matthew L Bechtold, MD, FASGE, FACG, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Missouri Health Sciences Center, Five Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, United States. bechtoldm@health.missouri.edu
Telephone: +1-573-8821013 Fax:+1-573-8844595
Received: November 6, 2013
Revised: March 5, 2014
Accepted: April 11, 2014
Published online: May 26, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Patients admitted on weekends have been suggested by multiple studies to have poorer outcomes, even in those with gastrointestinal bleeding. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of observational studies to examine the effect of weekend vs weekday admissions for patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). We discovered that patients with UGIB admitted on weekends had higher mortality, need for surgery, and time to endoscopy compared to those admitted on weekdays. This meta-analysis demonstrates the need for policies to decrease these poorer outcomes for our weekend patients with UGIB.