The role of on-site care in hospital avoidance at mass gathering events

Researchers: Alison Hutton, Brett Aimers, Jamie Ranse, Paul Arbon.

It is generally accepted that mass gathering events have a heightened potential to produce a higher incidence of illness, injury and therefore a subsequent increase in demand for ambulance and hospital resources. The balance between planning for mass gathering health care and maintaining adequate community resources is an emerging issue for health agencies today (Gutman, Lund & Turris, 2007).

Currently, the body of literature that examines the provision of health care at mass gatherings is under developed and may not accurately reflect the impact of on site health agencies on ‘hospital avoidance ’. St John Ambulance Australia is well positioned to contribute to this subject by exploring its role in hospital avoidance when deployed to mass gatherings.

Therefore this project aims to identify the number of patients that would have ordinarily required hospital care who were provided with end-to-end care and discharged by St John Ambulance Australia. Secondly to determine the injuries and illnesses that would ordinarily require ambulance transport from a mass gathering to hospital.