An Analysis of Demand for First-Aid Care at a Major Public Event

Abstract

Introduction:First aid is the initial care of the ill or injured. It aims to preserve and protect life, prevent further injury or deterioration of illness, and help promote recovery. At major public events, there is a large gathering of people, physical spectacles, and equipment within a concentrated area, where organized first-aid care is provided.Objective:To analyze the demand for primary medical care at a public event by identifying the patients and initial symptoms that may predict that demand, and to use such information to improve the efficiency and delivery of medical care.Methods:A questionnaire was completed by St. John Operations Branch personnel after each patient consultation and a retrospective analysis of the data was conducted.Results:A total of 1,276 questionnaires were returned. Mean patient presentation rate (PPR) was 1.9±0.47 per 1,000 show attendees. This correlated best with the maximum daily temperature (r = 0.715, p <0.02) and show day (r = 0.615, p <0.05). There was poor correlation with daily attendance (r = −0.235, p >0.54). Mean presentation time was 15:13 h. Of those whose gender was recorded, 58.4% were females, and 41.6% were males. The most frequent age group was 13 to 20 years. The nature and number of initial symptoms are listed. Basic first-aid skills were used for 96.7% of symptoms; 2.4% of patients were referred to the hospital.Conclusions:Temperature and show day significantly contributed to variability of PPR. These factors, together with an estimated PPR and predicted attendance, can be used to forecast demand. Most cases required only basic first-aid skills. Guidelines are suggested for management by nonmedical personnel. A medical officer's role is not reliably defined, but involvement in consultation is suggested.

An analysis of use of crowd medical services at an English football league club

“…Although there is a growing body of literature examining medical consultations at mass gatherings (Sanders et al, 1986;Flabouris and Bridgewater, 1996;Shelton et al, 1997;Crawford et al, 2001;Martin-Gill et al, 2007) there is little literature in the area of English league football. The authors could find no published studies carried out on crowd medical services in English league football, (Pubmed, CINHAL, HILO/Ovid using keywords ''football '', ''soccer'', ''crowd'', ''safety'' and ''mass gathering'').…”

“…Routine staffing consists of one Advanced Life Support (ALS) trained physician, two ALS trained nurses and fifteen members of a voluntary service agency, St John Ambulance (SJA) who hold a minimum of a first-aid certificate. By definition first-aid is the initial care of the ill or injured (Flabouris and Bridgewater, 1996) and individuals holding this level of skill make up the majority of healthcare providers at The Den. In addition to the presence of the London Ambulance Service crew and officer, an ambulance staffed by trained St John members is also in attendance providing a multi-disciplinary team approach.…”

Practical Solutions for Injury Surveillance at Mass Gatherings

“…The Royal Adelaide Show was chosen as the principal mass gathering for the study based on previous work. 4,7,8 The Royal Adelaide Show, an agricultural and horticultural show, has an average attendance of 616,000 patrons over the nine days. While St. John and Workplace Services are on-site, there are no rostered Medical Officers.…”

Forecasting Medical Work at Mass-Gathering Events: Predictive Model Versus Retrospective Review

“…Data available from this review included crowd size, number of patient presentations, weather, and the number of patients transferred to hospitals by ambulances (1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001). The inferences derived from seven years of data indicated that the significant factors predicting medical workload for this 5 and an injury surveillance study was undertaken to explore injuries that occur at a mass-gathering event. 7…”