| Mass Gatherings provide a difficult environment for which to plan an appropriate emergency medical response. Many of the variables, which may affect the level and types of medical needs, are not fully researched. The purpose of this study is to utilize retrospective data and reports to identify marker variables that can be used to make the planning process more effective and streamlined. Multiple variables play a role in determining the case mix and patient load at mass gathering events, including crowd mobility, weather, indoor or outdoor location, location of the event and the physical plant, event type, pre-existing medical disease, sanitary conditions, duration of the event, alcohol or drug use, attendance and crowd density, age, music type, and crowd mood. Retrospective data from four different event types were examined for weather, event type (which includes crowd mobility and duration), gender, attendance, and age and then analyzed with Chi-Square and T-tests as well as regression analysis.;Several hypotheses were proposed with respect to the studied variables. The injury patterns and case mix for each event studied (rock concerts, baseball, football, marathon) were found to have multiple differences. Rock concerts had a higher medical usage rate than baseball games as well as more traumatic injuries. Sporting events (baseball and football games) had more medical illnesses than rock concerts. Predictors for increased trauma at an event included event type (rock concerts) and precipitation. Predictors of medical usage rate included event type and attendance (to a lesser degree). |
