#OriginalResearch “You said it! Now look what’s happened!” We’ve all been blamed for saying it. The shift was calm — then someone muttered the “Q word,” and chaos reigned. But is it actually true? Does saying “quiet” doom us to a flood of patients? 🧠 A new narrative systematic review in EMJ says... probably not. By @AndrewTabner @gdj043 Researchers analysed 8 RCTs across EDs, surgical specialties, microbiology labs, and even OMFS on-call shifts. The verdict? ❌ No solid evidence that uttering the word “quiet” increases admissions, bleeps, referrals, or calls. 💡 What it might do? Influence our perception of being busy — particularly for those who already believe in the superstition. It’s a classic case of confirmation bias and regression to the mean: if things are unusually calm, they’re bound to pick up again, whether we say “quiet” or not. 👏 Let’s give credit to the researchers — many of whom studied this in their own time, with no funding — for taking on one of medicine’s most persistent myths. So, go ahead. Say it. “It’s a quiet shift today.” And if it gets busy later... well, it was going to anyway. 😉 🔗 emj.bmj.com/content/early/20… #MythBusting #EmergencyMedicine #QuietShift #MedicalSuperstition #WorkplaceCulture #HealthCareHumour #EvidenceBasedMedicine @RCollEM

#OriginalResearch “You said it! Now look what’s happened!” We’ve all been blamed for saying it. The shift was calm — then someone muttered the “Q word,” and chaos reigned. But is it actually true? Does saying “quiet” doom us to a flood of patients? 🧠 A new narrative systematic review in EMJ says... probably not. By @AndrewTabner @gdj043 Researchers analysed 8 RCTs across EDs, surgical specialties, microbiology labs, and even OMFS on-call shifts. The verdict? ❌ No solid evidence that uttering the word “quiet” increases admissions, bleeps, referrals, or calls. 💡 What it might do? Influence our perception of being busy — particularly for those who already believe in the superstition. It’s a classic case of confirmation bias and regression to the mean: if things are unusually calm, they’re bound to pick up again, whether we say “quiet” or not. 👏 Let’s give credit to the researchers — many of whom studied this in their own time, with no funding — for taking on one of medicine’s most persistent myths. So, go ahead. Say it. “It’s a quiet shift today.” And if it gets busy later... well, it was going to anyway. 😉 🔗 emj.bmj.com/content/early/20… #MythBusting #EmergencyMedicine #QuietShift #MedicalSuperstition #WorkplaceCulture #HealthCareHumour #EvidenceBasedMedicine @RCollEM