The impact of learner involvement in emergency department patient assessments on short-term return visits requiring hospital admission: a cross-sectional study

Our duty to learners in the emergency department

“…Length of stay and measures of efficiency have also been studied in this context and have had mixed results ranging from slight decreases to slight increases [1]. The July effect is actually more myth than reality with evidence being mixed and generally neutral in terms of patient safety outcomes [2]. Based on the literature we have, trainees do not appear to affect quality of care.…”

“…They then compared return visit rate with admission amongst those patients seen by a trainee and those seen solely by a staff physician. Their analysis did not detect an association between the involvement of learners and return visits [2]. They did find a trend towards reduced return visits with clerkship students and senior residents, but this finding was not significant.…”

“…Perhaps the most tangible example of this in Canada is what is referred to as the 'July effect' [1], when trainees transition from student to resident with a jump in responsibility. The work of Chen et al [2] in this issue of CJEM adds valuable information to this scholarly conversation.…”