New Study Presented at ACEP's Scientific Assembly

New Orleans - Visits by men to the emergency department increase significantly in the hours following televised sporting events, according to a new study being released next week during the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in New Orleans. 

Dr. David Jerrard, associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, conducted the study over three years and examined emergency department registration patterns at his hospital following 796 sporting events, including professional and college football, professional baseball and college basketball.  According to the study, the number of men checking into the emergency department increased following all of the sporting events in the study.  There were approximately 50 percent more men in the emergency department following a professional football game, than during the contest. Thirty to 40 percent more men sought care following a baseball game. 

"In our previous study, we found that visits by men to emergency departments declined during televised sporting events," said Dr. Jerrard.   "We conducted this research to see whether there was an increase in visits by men once games were over, and that's exactly what we found.  Previous research found this pattern during playoff games, but we purposely included only regular season games which we thought would not be quite as important to the men as playoffs or bowl games."

The study did not address what health conditions brought men to the emergency department after the games and Dr. Jerrard said additional research is needed to explain the reasons for the delays, but he speculates that men don't want to miss the games.  

"It's important for everyone to seek immediate medical attention when they are experiencing the symptoms of a medical emergency," said Dr. Jerrard.  "Men should not risk their health by putting off going to the emergency room because they want to see the final results of a football game.  It could be the last game they ever see." 

Dr. Jerrard's research is on display this week in New Orleans, Louisiana, at ACEP's annual Scientific Assembly where emergency physicians from the around the country and many other nations gather to share research and learn the latest developments in emergency care and patient safety.  More than 400 poster presentations are scheduled to be presented this year.  For more information about the research, visit www.acep.org.

ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine with more than 25,000 members. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies. 

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