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Mass-Gathering Medical Care in Electronic Dance Music Festivals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2017

Kathleen M. FitzGibbon ,
Jose V. Nable ,
Benjamin Ayd ,
Benjamin J. Lawner ,
Angela C. Comer ,
Richard Lichenstein ,
Matthew J. Levy ,
Kevin G. Seaman  and
Ian Bussey
Kathleen M. FitzGibbon*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DelawareUSA
Jose V. Nable
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DCUSA
Benjamin Ayd
Affiliation:
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, New YorkUSA
Benjamin J. Lawner
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaUSA
Angela C. Comer
Affiliation:
National Study Center for EMS and Trauma, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MarylandUSA
Richard Lichenstein
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MarylandUSA
Matthew J. Levy
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MarylandUSA
Kevin G. Seaman
Affiliation:
Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, Baltimore, MarylandUSA
Ian Bussey
Affiliation:
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MarylandUSA
*
Correspondence: Kathleen M. FitzGibbon, MD Department of Emergency Medicine Christiana Care Health Services 4755 Ogletown-Stanton Road, PO Box 6001 Newark, Delaware 19718 USA E-mail: kfitzgibbonmd@gmail.com
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Abstract

Introduction

Electronic dance music (EDM) festivals represent a unique subset of mass-gathering events with limited guidance through literature or legislation to guide mass-gathering medical care at these events.

Hypothesis/Problem

Electronic dance music festivals pose unique challenges with increased patient encounters and heightened patient acuity under-estimated by current validated casualty predication models.

Methods

This was a retrospective review of three separate EDM festivals with analysis of patient encounters and patient transport rates. Data obtained were inserted into the predictive Arbon and Hartman models to determine estimated patient presentation rate and patient transport rates.

Results

The Arbon model under-predicted the number of patient encounters and the number of patient transports for all three festivals, while the Hartman model under-predicted the number of patient encounters at one festival and over-predicted the number of encounters at the other two festivals. The Hartman model over-predicted patient transport rates for two of the three festivals.

Conclusion

Electronic dance music festivals often involve distinct challenges and current predictive models are inaccurate for planning these events. The formation of a cohesive incident action plan will assist in addressing these challenges and lead to the collection of more uniform data metrics.

FitzGibbonKM, NableJV, AydB, LawnerBJ, ComerAC, LichensteinR, LevyMJ, SeamanKG, BusseyI. Mass-Gathering Medical Care in Electronic Dance Music Festivals. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(5):563–567.

Keywords

electric dance music festivalemergency care, prehospitalmass-gathering medical care
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 32 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 563 - 567
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2017 

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Footnotes

Conflicts of interest: none

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