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Mass gathering medicine, also known as event medicine, crowd medicine or mass 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]
Medical journal The Lancet held a conference on Mass Gathering Medicine in October 2010 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[15]
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]
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