OMED26 is Oct. 22-25 in Las Vegas! Earn up to 60 CME credits at the osteopathic profession’s premier event. | REGISTER NOW

The DO

Is the ER really any wilder during a full moon? DOs weigh in

By The DO Staff

10.13.24

Full moons causing irregular or unexplainable behavior in humans and animals has been a belief for some for centuries around the world. One group that historically subscribes to this belief is emergency physicians. Anecdotes abound of hectic nights in the emergency room brought on by the brightest phase of the lunar cycle; a 2011 study published in the World Journal of Surgery found that more than 40% of medical staff believe that lunar phases can affect human behavior.