Weekend Effect on in-Hospital Mortality for Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke in US Rural and Urban Hospitals

Abstract Introduction Previous studies have reported a “weekend effect” on stroke mortality, whereby stroke patients admitted during weekends have a higher risk of in-hospital death than those admitted during weekdays. Aims We aimed to investigate whether patients with different types of stroke admitted during weekends have a higher risk of in-hospital mortality in rural and urban hospitals in the US. Methods We used data from the 2016 National Inpatient Sample and used logistic regression to assess in-hospital mortality for weekday and weekend admissions among stroke patients aged 18 and older by stroke type (ischemic or hemorrhagic) and rural or urban status. Results Crude stroke mortality was higher in weekend admissions (p Conclusions Our results help to understand mortality differences in hemorrhagic stroke for weekend vs. weekday admissions in urban and rural hospitals. Factors such as density of care providers, stroke centers, and patient level risky behaviors associated with the weekend effect on hemorrhagic stroke mortality need further investigation to improve stroke care services and reduce weekend effect on hemorrhagic stroke mortality.