If you are contemplating any sort of medical procedure during the month of July, preceed with cauction. July is the perfect storm, a time in which many unnecessary medical mistakes are to be made, especia in hospitals. July is a time when part-timers, temporary workers and newbies, none of whom know how to work with each other, are thrown together and are unprepared.  The end result might not be so pretty.

July is the time the many doctors take vacations. The problem is compounded because July 1st is the start date for the new residents, newly titled M.D’s who have little or no real experience.

Many advocates have been expressing this concern, now there is some research that showed that the counties in the United States that have academic medical hospitals will experience a 10% increase in the number of medical errors during the month of

I do not believe that anyone who works under these constraints ever intends to harm a patient. Not a chance.. the problem is that they are being thrown into an impossible situation not of their own making.

So, what is your bottom line?  Accessing healthcare in July may be dangerous and should be avoided if possible. Listen to this warning and either delay any sort of care that may be elective, or if you must be sure you have someone (an advocate) by your side at all times should you need any sort of care – someone who can double check drugs, insist on hand washing, verify lab results and

Joel T Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.