Whenever you book an elective surgery or even if you book a surgery that you must have but you have the leeway of when to have it, there is a reason that you never book it in the evening. They are always booked during the day or afternoons at the latest when it comes to planning surgeries in advance. That would make sense since surgeons would be known to work only during the day.
And it is easier to have a morning surgery as opposed to an afternoon one because you will not be starving so badly in the morning. In the afternoon, however, you will be starving since you would not be able to eat anything for at least eight to twelve hours before the surgery. And it is easier to skip breakfast than it is to skip lunch especially if you are unable to eat anything before lunch. However, that depends on the schedule of the surgeon and if you have a condition such as diabetes where you would have to eat on a regular timed basis, the priority would go to you for having a morning surgery.
However, if a surgeon has to do emergency surgery on you, it may happen in the evening. And evenings are really the time to avoid going for surgery if you can help it that is. Elective surgery or one that has to happen would not normally be scheduled in the evening regardless. But if by some chance there is an opening in the evening, you will want to decline the offer. And if it means you need to wait longer to have the surgery done at a decent time of the day, then you are better off waiting. In fact, having surgery in the evening has the potential to be quite dangerous.
Why Is It Potentially Dangerous To Have Surgery In The Evening?
Unless you normally work evenings or the graveyard shift, imagine having to work in the evening after-hours after working a full day. Even if you are able to take a break for dinner and then you are back at work. You need hours to recharge after working all day long. You need the night off in order to be fresh and functional the next morning at work. This is why when you work overtime, you are not going to be able to put in the best effort because you are fatigued from being productive during the day.
Therefore, surgeons and anesthesiologists who have to do their jobs in the evening will be feeling the same. This is known as the ‘weekend effect’ or the ‘after-hours effect’. When you have to do a job that is outside of your normal working timeframe, you will not be able to put in the effort that you normally would. And when it comes to surgery, that is not something you want to fool around with when it comes to not doing a good job.
Doing a poor surgical job can literally mean life or death, or at the very least, cause complications that would need further work are not the same thing as completing a file that is less than perfect at an office job due to you working overtime.
The other thing is when it comes to evening surgeries, there are fewer operating rooms available and fewer staff members as well. This means too that the doctors, surgeons, and anesthesiologists that are having to do an emergency surgery after putting in a full day’s work will be at risk for experiencing fatigue. That is a huge risk and that is a risk you never want to take.
On the flip side, there are surgeons at hospitals that are only meant to work during after-hours and are only meant to do emergency surgeries such as situations where the appendix or gallbladder has to be taken out because it is very close to bursting. And these medical staff who are only designated to work during after-hours will not experience such fatigue. They are not having to work during the day so they have their break then.
You do not want to arrange to have any type of surgery during after hours if you have the choice to do so. You want your surgical team to be fresh and bright as they do surgery on you. Book it for the day time, even if you have to wait longer to get a good time to have the work done.