Monday, October 20, 2008

It's the Economy, Stupid

The New York Times took a look at trends associated with a slowing economy in their Week in Review section over the weekend.  

According to an economist cited in the piece: "Death rates fall, people smoke less, drink less and exercise more.  Traffic fatalities go way down, which is not a surprise when people drive less.  Heart attacks go down.  Back problems go down.  People have more time to prepare healthier meals at home."  

This almost makes a recession seem like just what the doctor ordered.  

The article goes on to say that we should plan on longer, slower songs, an increase in laxative sales, and a decrease in carbonated beverages.  Oh, and suicides are also expected to rise. 

I will do my best to monitor these key benchmarks and their effect on the ER patient population as the economic crisis continues to unfold.  Especially laxative usage.

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