The July Effect: Truth or Myth?

Ask any healthcare professional about the worst time of the year to get sick and they will adamantly tell you July 1st! July 1st is when new residents are released into the hospital armed with all the knowledge gained from four years of medical school and are set loose to treat patients. The July Effect proposes that when these freshly minted doctors arrive, the number of adverse events increases. The phenomenon has been studied for decades1.

Dr. Larry Miller, an emergency room physician who spent the beginning of his career at Cook County Hospital (now known as John J. Stroger Hospital) in Chicago, wrote Never Get Sick on the First of July, which details his memoirs of working in the ER. Miller writes at the beginning of his book how important it is to have a mentor and correct training, along with a humble attitude when starting a residency. He approached his internship by befriending a respected, experienced nurse and respectfully asking her for help2.

The July Effect is a myth. A study published in 2023 reviewed 113 studies and determined that there is no significant evidence of a July Effect1. Their conclusion was that there was no difference in major adverse outcomes in teaching hospitals including mortality, major morbidity, and readmission. The authors suggest that perhaps hospital administrators and residency program directors would be prudent to address the quality of clinical care provided and ensure there is adequate education to continue providing excellent quality of care.

At Turn Medical, we understand how vital education and training are for clinicians and their patients, and therefore established a clinical education platform for healthcare providers through Turn University. Our highly experienced critical care clinicians believe that by providing evidence-based programs to promote understanding of key critical illnesses such as pneumonia, sepsis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome, we can help critical care clinicians positively impact their patients’ care. We are committed to supporting clinicians and patients with our innovative technology and educational platform. For more information, please visit turnmedical.com.