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In a retrospective study from the pediatric emergency department (PED) at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital in Israel, researchers evaluated whether children with uncomplicated acute otitis media (AOM) received different care on weekends vs weekdays (the “weekend effect”), knowing that community-based pediatric clinics are closed on weekends. The review, published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, included 288 children aged 6 months to 10 years who presented to the PED between 2017 and 2024. Overall, 72.9% of children received guideline-adherent management based on 2023 Israeli AOM recommendations—which closely align with the 2013 American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. Amoxicillin was the preferred first-line antibiotic, with a median prescribed dose of 82.4 mg/kg/day. Although attending physician supervision was lower for weekends/after-hour visits (55.6% vs 82.8% on weekdays, P<0.001), adherence to treatment guidelines did not differ significantly by the day or time of the visit or by supervision level. Further analysis also found no association between care timing, physician seniority, or patient characteristics and guideline-adherent AOM treatment. It’s also interesting to note that of the 90 weekend visits, 97.8% of patients arrived after hours, and for the 198 weekday visits, 70.7% arrived after hours.
Where to go: Israel has near-universal primary care, covered under 4 health maintenance organizations, with outpatient care available on weekdays. However, on weekends, PEDs are the only option for acute pediatric care. They operate 24/7 and are staffed by pediatric physicians.