Caution: Friday Surgeries

 

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Caution: Friday Surgeries

Picture this: You're facing surgery, and someone offhandedly says, "Oh, and don't forget, the day you choose might affect the outcome!" Sounds crazy, right? However, a major new study from Ontario, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by Ranganathan et al. (2025), suggests just that. Researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences examined over half a million patients who had surgery between 2007 and 2019. The authors reported that people who had surgery on Friday were significantly more likely to have problems right after and even months down the line. They're calling it the "Friday Effect," and it's making people rethink when they schedule surgery. So, why does Friday seem to be the troublemaker? It’s all about who’s around or not around when you’re on the operating table. Picture this: It’s Friday afternoon, and maybe the surgeon working on you is still pretty new at this. They’re good, don’t get me wrong, but they haven’t seen it all yet. Meanwhile, the more experienced surgeons who’ve been around the block are starting to wind down. Maybe they’re in meetings, finishing paperwork, or already mentally checked out for the weekend. If something tricky comes up during your surgery, there might not be as many pros around to jump in and help.

What about the weekend? You had surgery on Friday and are now recovering in a hospital that is running on fumes. It has fewer nurses, fewer doctors, and far fewer people to keep an eye on you. Suppose something goes off during recovery, like an infection that starts brewing or a significant amount of blood that starts leaking out. In that case, it is going to take a lot longer for any of the weekend staff to notice and fix the situation. And in recovery, particularly after a complicated surgery, those extra minutes can add up. Before you start getting anxious about the Friday surgery you've got planned, let's take a moment to regroup. This study took place in Ontario, where the healthcare system is quite different: super centralized and publicly funded. Things might not look the same if you're somewhere else, like the U.S., with all its private hospitals. And anyway, the researchers didn't parse whether this "Friday effect" is more intense for a big, brutal heart surgery or something relatively simple, like taking out your appendix. And what if your planned surgery is an emergency? You don't get to pick your day; go when necessary. But if it's something you can plan, like a knee replacement, this is worth keeping in mind.

What can hospitals do about it? For one, they could ensure that some of the top surgeons stick around on Fridays. They could also tweak the schedules so the heavy hitters aren’t all off at once. They could also beef up the weekend crew and have more nurses and doctors walking the halls, especially in the recovery areas. Give the newer surgeons a boost, maybe pair them with a mentor or let them call up a senior doctor on video if things get hairy. Oh, and here’s a smart one: Use data to determine which surgeries are the toughest and save those for days when the hospital is firing on all cylinders. What about us, the patients? If you have an elective surgery ahead, something not urgent (like hernia repair) but looming, here is some advice from a few intrepid insiders: Book it for early in the week if you can. Pick a Tuesday or Wednesday slot, and hope for an accompanying moon phase that favors smooth running. Elective surgery counts as elective for a reason—it is not time-sensitive. So, why not schedule it for a more propitious moment?

Looking ahead, there's still a bunch we don't know. Like, does this Friday thing hit certain surgeries harder? Are older folks or people with a bunch of health issues more at risk? That is stuff future studies could figure out. But for now, hospitals can start making some changes, and we can stay in the loop about what is going on. The whole point is to make sure that no matter what day your surgery lands on, you're getting the best shot at coming out of it okay. Because when it comes to your health, every day should feel like a win. You can be the judge and read the study: The link is provided below.

Ranganathan, S., Riveros, C., Tsugawa, Y., Geng, M., Mundra, V., Melchiode, Z., Ravi, B., Coburn, N., Jerath, A., Detsky, A. S., Wallis, C. J. D., & Satkunasivam, R. (2025). Postoperative outcomes following preweekend surgery. JAMA Network Open, 8(3), e2458794. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.58794