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The Effect of Season and Weather on Orthopaedic Trauma: Consult Volume Is Significantly Correlated with Daily Weather.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wilson, JM; Staley, CA; Boden, AL; Boissonneault, AR; Schwartz, AM; Schenker, ML
Published in: Adv Orthop
2018

INTRODUCTION: On-call orthopedic clinicians have long speculated that daily consult volume is closely correlated with weather. While prior studies have demonstrated a relationship between weather and certain fracture types, the effect of weather on total orthopaedic consult volume has not yet been examined. The aim of this study was to investigate this relationship. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed orthopaedic consult data from 405 consecutive days at an urban, level one trauma center. The number, mechanism of injury, and type of consult were collected, along with daily weather data (temperature, wind, and precipitation). Statistical analysis was then performed to determine the relationship between weather and orthopaedic trauma consults. RESULTS: A total of 4543 consults were received during the study period. There was a significant difference in total number of consults between months of the year (p<0.001). A post hoc analysis revealed that this was due to increased volume in the summer months relative to the winter months (i.e., August 13.7 consults/day; January 9.3 consults/day). Average daily temperature and consult volume were also positively correlated (p<0.001, r= 0.30). While there was no significant association between precipitation and total consult volume, when there was over 0.25 inches of rain, there were less penetrating trauma (p=0.034) and motorcycle collision consults (p=0.013). CONCLUSION: Weather parameters, specifically average temperature and precipitation, were found to be associated with daily orthopedic consult type and volume. Additionally, consult volume varies significantly between months of the year. Because trauma centers are often resource scarce, this is an important relationship to understand for proper resource allocation.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Adv Orthop

DOI

ISSN

2090-3464

Publication Date

2018

Volume

2018

Start / End Page

6057357

Location

Egypt

Related Subject Headings

  • 3202 Clinical sciences
  • 1103 Clinical Sciences
  • 0903 Biomedical Engineering
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Wilson, J. M., Staley, C. A., Boden, A. L., Boissonneault, A. R., Schwartz, A. M., & Schenker, M. L. (2018). The Effect of Season and Weather on Orthopaedic Trauma: Consult Volume Is Significantly Correlated with Daily Weather. Adv Orthop, 2018, 6057357. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/6057357
Wilson, J. M., C. A. Staley, A. L. Boden, A. R. Boissonneault, A. M. Schwartz, and M. L. Schenker. “The Effect of Season and Weather on Orthopaedic Trauma: Consult Volume Is Significantly Correlated with Daily Weather.Adv Orthop 2018 (2018): 6057357. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/6057357.
Wilson JM, Staley CA, Boden AL, Boissonneault AR, Schwartz AM, Schenker ML. The Effect of Season and Weather on Orthopaedic Trauma: Consult Volume Is Significantly Correlated with Daily Weather. Adv Orthop. 2018;2018:6057357.
Wilson, J. M., et al. “The Effect of Season and Weather on Orthopaedic Trauma: Consult Volume Is Significantly Correlated with Daily Weather.Adv Orthop, vol. 2018, 2018, p. 6057357. Pubmed, doi:10.1155/2018/6057357.
Wilson JM, Staley CA, Boden AL, Boissonneault AR, Schwartz AM, Schenker ML. The Effect of Season and Weather on Orthopaedic Trauma: Consult Volume Is Significantly Correlated with Daily Weather. Adv Orthop. 2018;2018:6057357.
Journal cover image

Published In

Adv Orthop

DOI

ISSN

2090-3464

Publication Date

2018

Volume

2018

Start / End Page

6057357

Location

Egypt

Related Subject Headings

  • 3202 Clinical sciences
  • 1103 Clinical Sciences
  • 0903 Biomedical Engineering