Press Date: 07/12/2010

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In the medical circles it's common knowledge that July is the month you don't want to get sick. It's called the "July effect." It's when new doctors, fresh out of med school, go to work and a new study seems to confirm this.

The University of California San Diego study looked at 244 thousand death certificates over two and a half decades and they found a ten percent spike in errors at hospitals all around the country during the month of July. So what do local hospitals do to try and prevent these mistakes?

Call it myth, call it folklore, call it rumor, but for years those in the health community have said the month of July is the worst time to get sick. With many doctors taking vacations new medical school graduates are taking to the hospital hallways and taking over patient care. And now a new study finds that the stories about more medical errors in July may be true, but local hospitals don't agree with the findings.

"Some of the years in past, July has actually been some of the lowest in medication error months that we've had."

Local hospitals do take great steps at curbing new doctor error. This is code training at Riverside Methodist Hospital. This simulates when someone is having a heart attack. This hands-on training's a must for residents.

"Each new resident who's starting out in July has very close and direct supervision from other senior residents and also the attending physicians who have been in practice for years."

After every simulation there are discussions that cover possible medication errors that are made in the first year of residency.

Here are some other tips to help you take control of your next hospital visit. If you're unclear about any part of a procedure, make sure to ask an attending physician. Research your hospital carefully. Learn their ratings and accreditations. Have your physicians check your medication dosage. Mistakes do happen. And have a family member with you; they may think of questions you might not.