Mass-gathering medicine
Mass Gathering Medicine is a field of medicine that explores the health effects/risks of mass gatherings and the strategies that contribute positively to effective health services delivery during these events.[1] .[2][3] The reason for the development of the field of medicine gives the fact that mass gatherings generate a higher incidence of injury and illness, may be the subject to a catastrophic accident or attack with large numbers of injured or dead persons.[4][5]
Mass Gathering Medicine is viewed as a niche field of prehospital care in emergency medicine at the University of British Columbia [6]
Among factors influencing on the demand for the health care at mass gatherings [7] are:
- the weather,
- duration of the event,
- if the crowd moves,
- containment of the event (fenced/contained or not),
- availability of alcohol/drugs,
- the density of the crowd et al.,
- possibility for spreading of communicable diseases [8]
Key purposes of Mass Gathering Medical Services at an event[9] are:
- rapid access to the injured or ill patients,
- effective stabilizing and transporting injured or ill patients,
- on-site care for minor injuries and illnesses.
The Department of Global Alert and Response of the World Health Organization supports Member States hosting mass gatherings .[10]
Mass gathering medicine support requires planning in advance.[11]
Medical journal The Lancet held a conference on Mass Gathering Medicine in October 2010 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .[12]
In 2015, This Is Life with Lisa Ling filmed an episode featuring mass-gathering medicine with event medical specialists Dr. Andrew Bazos and Connor Fitzpatrick of CrowdRx, Inc. [13]
The inaugural Mass Gathering Medicine Summit was held in New York City on April 21-22, 2016. [14] The second annual Mass Gathering Medical Summit will be held in Las Vegas on February 10-11, 2017 [15]
References
- ↑ http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/Volume_22/issue_2/arbon.pdf
- ↑ Arbon P: Mass gathering medicine: A review of the evidence and future directions for research. Prehosp Didast Med 2007;22(2):131-135
- ↑ "Public Health Preparedness for Mass Gatherings". Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ↑ Franaszek J:Medical care at mass gatherings. Ann Emerg Med 1986;15:60-61
- ↑ Thompson JM et al.:Level of medical care required for mass gatherings: The XV Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada. Ann Emerg Med 1991;20(4):385-390
- ↑ http://mgm.sites.olt.ubc.ca/
- ↑ Milsten AM et al.: Mass gathering medical care: A review of the literature. Prehosp Disaster Med 2002;17(3):151-162
- ↑ "Communicable disease alert and response for mass gatherings" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ↑ De Lorenzo RA:Mass gathering medicine: A review. Prehosp Disaster Med 1997;12(1):68-72
- ↑ "Mass Gatherings and Public Health" (PDF). 2007. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ↑ http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/massgatherings.html Public Health Preparedness for Mass Gatherings
- ↑ http://conferences.thelancet.com/massgatherings/
- ↑ http://www.crowdrx.org
- ↑ http://www.massgatheringmedicine.org
- ↑ http://www.massgatheringmedicine.org