For most people in New York, the weekends are a time to kick back, relax and enjoy time off from work. Of course, there are some professions that don't take weekends or holidays off. Emergencies can happen at any hour of any day. That is why hospitals run 24 hours a day.

But anyone who has been to hospitals knows that they are less active on weekends. And the results of a recently released study suggest that this reduced activity may be hazardous to your health and could lead to potential medical malpractice.

The study observed National Health Service hospitals in England from 2009 to 2010, and examined patients who died within 30 days of admission to the hospital. The researchers found that patients admitted on the weekends were more likely to die within 30 days than those admitted during weekdays. Specifically, admission on a Sunday posed the highest risk to patients of dying in the hospital, while Saturday and Monday admissions carried a lesser, though still statistically significant, elevated risk. Admissions on Tuesday through Friday presented the least risk.

Although the study was conducted in England, studies of 254 hospitals in the United States demonstrate similar findings. In particular, when controlling for other variables, studies of U.S. hospitals have shown that being admitted on a weekend results in a higher mortality rate among patients with acute kidney injury, acute myocardial infarction, and among babies born to teenage mothers.

There are a few explanations suggested for the increased risk posed by weekend admissions. Testing facilities often do not run at full capacity on weekends, and there are generally fewer staff members in hospitals on weekends.

Source: Medical Daily, "Patients Are 'More Likely to Die' if Hospitalized During Weekends," Christine Hsu, Feb. 3, 2012.