Category: Administration
Keywords: holidays, scheduling, daily volumes, behavioral health (PubMed Search)
Posted: 12/18/2025 by Steve Schenkel, MPP, MD
(Updated: 12/24/2025)
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How do ED volumes change around the winter holidays?
The anticipated US pattern is one of lower volumes on the holidays themselves followed by increased volumes on the first weekdays after.
Behavioral health visits show similar patterns – a drop before the holidays and perhaps an increase after the holiday.
Many departments adjust scheduling accordingly, reducing staff on major holidays, which has the added benefit of allowing more people to enjoy the holiday.
This pattern isn’t necessarily what happens everywhere, though. At least one Australian ED reported increased visits over the holidays.
While not perfect, the best guide to future holiday volumes remains past experience thoughtfully applied.
Agoritsas A, et al. Predicting Flow in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Are Holidays Lighter? Annals of Emergency Medicine 2015, Volume 66, Issue 4, S143
Halpern, Scott D. et al. Emergency department patterns in psychiatric visits during the holiday season. Annals of Emergency Medicine 1994, Volume 24, Issue 5, 939 – 943.
Leming, M. et al. Effect of Holidays on the Patient Severity and Census In the Emergency Department. Annals of Emergency Medicine 2010, Volume 56, Issue 3, S128
Silverman M. Holiday Scheduling: Fair and Balanced. EP Monthly, Dec 1, 2010. https://epmonthly.com/article/holiday-scheduling-fair-and-balanced/.
Zheng, W., Muscatello, D.J. and Chan, A.C. (2007), Deck the halls with rows of trolleys … emergency departments are busiest over the Christmas holiday period. Medical Journal of Australia, 187: 630-633. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01451.x
