The Effect of Season and Weather on Orthopaedic Trauma:Consult Volume Is SignificantlyCorrelated with Daily Weather

On-call orthopedic clinicians have long speculated that daily consult volume is closely correlated with weather. Whileprior studies have demonstrated a relationship between weather and certain fracture types, the effect of weather on total orthopaedicconsult volume has not yet been examined. The aim of this study was to investigate this relationship.Methods. We retrospectivelyreviewed orthopaedic consult data from 405 consecutive days at an urban, level one trauma center. The number, mechanism ofinjury, and type of consult were collected, along with daily weather data (temperature, wind, and precipitation). Statistical analysiswas then performed to determine the relationship between weather and orthopaedic trauma consults.Results. A total of 4543consults were received during the study period. There was a significant difference in total number of consults between months ofthe year (p<0.001). A post hoc analysis revealed that this was due to increased volume in the summer months relative to the wintermonths (i.e., August 13.7 consults/day; January 9.3 consults/day). Average daily temperatureand consult volume were also positivelycorrelated (p<0.001, r= 0.30). While there was no significant associationbetween precipitation and total consult volume, when therewas over 0.25 inches of rain, there were less penetrating trauma (p=0.034) and motorcycle collision consults (p=0.013).Conclusion.Weather parameters, specifically average temperature and precipitation, were found to be associated with daily orthopedic consulttype and volume. Additionally, consult volume varies significantly between months of the year. Because trauma centers are oftenresource scarce, this is an important relationship to understand for proper resource allocation