Full Moon Emergency Room Statistics

Evidence in the yes column.

Full moon emergency room statistics.

There are a lot of people looking into this as if you know in advance that it will be busy you hire on extra staff. Folklore tells us that the full moon correlates to more emergency room visits poorer mental health a change. The full moon has been linked to crime suicide mental illness disasters accidents birthrates. The wall street journal reports that some of the biggest believers in the full moon s chaotic effects are doctors nurses and er staff.

However the belief that the ed is busier during the full moon cannot be substantiated. If you believe old wives tales then the full moon sure has a big effect on your body. There is always a lot of speculation as to why the emergency room is busier some days rather than others. For as long as i ve worked in the emergency department whenever there s a full moon invariably someone will make a comment about how it s going to be a rough night he says.

Lunar cycles and emergency room visits. Staff is expensive so you. A study from the american journal of emergency medicine found that when analyzing admissions over a four year period there were no significant increases on nights where there was a full moon. Giving birth is just one human behavior said to be affected by the full moon.

Data revealed a small increase in the number of visits to psychiatric emergency rooms when a full moon was present. And then there are the entirely non pregnancy related behaviors like homicide rates suicide rates emergency room admissions and outbreaks of insanity. A 2011 study published by the national institute of health nih looked at more than 5 400 patients trying to find a connection between the lunar cycle and psychiatric emergency room visits. Bernard hospital in chicago has worked exclusively nights since he began practicing 12 years ago.

N engl j med 1978 298 1318 1319 3. Conception and fertility have also been linked to moon phases. Emergency room admissions but see behavioral outbursts of psychologically challenged rural adults lycanthropy vampirism alcoholism sleep walking epilepsy. J emerg med 1987 5 91 95 2.

The expression there must be a full moon out tonight will likely remain in emergency medicine folklore. A 2011 study published by the national institute of health nih looked at more than 5 400 patients trying to find a connection between the lunar cycle and psychiatric emergency room visits. Data revealed a small increase in the number of visits to psychiatric emergency rooms when a full moon was present.