Medical student effect on emergency department length of stay.

Abstract

Taking advantage of a medical student strike, the authors evaluated the effect of medical students on emergency department length of stay (LOS). 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). 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)). 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.