Mass gathering medicine, also known as event medicine, crowd medicineormass gathering health,[1] 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.[2][3][4]
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.[5][6]
Mass Gathering Medicine is viewed as a niche field of prehospital care in emergency medicine at the University of British Columbia.[7]
Among factors influencing on the demand for the health care at mass gatherings are:[8]
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[9]
Key purposes of Mass Gathering Medical Services at an event are:[10]
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.[11] As the acknowledgement of growth in the area of Mass Gathering Medicine, there is a need for consistency in the research and evaluation of mass gathering events.[12] This is important because mass gatherings may impact on health services and having a collective understanding of the impact of mass gatherings on health services may mitigate any poor outcomes for patients.[13]
Mass gathering medicine support requires planning in advance.[14]
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.[16]
The inaugural Mass Gathering Medicine Summit was held in New York City on April 21–22, 2016.[17]
The fourth annual Mass Gathering Medical Summit was held in Las Vegas on March 15–16, 2019.[17]
^Lund, A.; Turris, S. A.; Bowles, R.; Steenkamp, M.; Hutton, A.; Ranse, J.; Arbon, P. (2014). "Mass-gathering Health Research Foundational Theory: Part 1 - Population Models for Mass Gatherings". Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. 29 (6): 648–654. doi:10.1017/S1049023X14001216. PMID25400164. S2CID206310964.
^Thompson, James M.; Savoia, Gino; Powell, Gregory; Challis, EB; Law, Patricia (1991). "Level of medical care required for mass gatherings: The XV winter olympic games in Calgary, Canada". Annals of Emergency Medicine. 20 (4): 385–390. doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(05)81660-9. PMID2003667.
^Milsten, Andrew M.; Maguire, Brian J.; Bissell, Rick A.; Seaman, Kevin G. (2002). "Mass-Gathering Medical Care: A Review of the Literature". Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. 17 (3): 151–162. doi:10.1017/S1049023X00000388. PMID12627919. S2CID24799640.
