Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-nr4z6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-11T20:16:15.497Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mass Gathering Event Medical Preparedness and Response: A Review of Canadian Legislation and Guidelines

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2024

Marc-Antoine Pigeon ,
Attila Hertelendy Open the ORCID record for Attila Hertelendy [Opens in a new window] ,
Alexander Hart ,
Adam Lund ,
Jamie Ranse  and
Gregory Ciottone
Marc-Antoine Pigeon*
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Boston, MA, USA Département de médecine de famille et médecine d’urgence, Faculté de médecine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Attila Hertelendy
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Boston, MA, USA Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, College of Business, & Herbert Werheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
Alexander Hart
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Boston, MA, USA Department of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
Adam Lund
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Jamie Ranse
Affiliation:
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Gregory Ciottone
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Boston, MA, USA
*
Corresponding author: Marc-Antoine Pigeon; Email: marc-antoine.pigeon.med@ssss.gouv.qc.ca.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction:

The mass gathering event (MGE) industry is growing globally, including in countries such as Canada. MGEs have been associated with a greater prevalence of injury and illness when compared with daily life events, despite most participants having few comorbidities. As such, adequate health, safety, and emergency medical planning is required. However, there is no single entity regulating these concerns for MGEs, resulting in the responsibility for health planning lying with event organizers. This study aims to compare the legislative requirements for MGE medical response systems in the 13 provinces and territories of Canada.

Methods:

This study is a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of Canadian legislation. Lists of publicly available legislative requirements were obtained by means of the emergency medical services directors and Health Ministries. Descriptive statistics were performed to compare legislation.

Results:

Of the 13 provinces and territories, 10 responded. For the missing 3, a law library review confirmed the absence of specific legislation. Most (n = 6; 60%) provinces and territories referred to provisions in their Public Health laws. Four confirmed that MGE medical response was a municipal or local concern to be addressed by the event organizers.

Conclusions:

No provinces could list specific legislation guiding safety, health, and medical response for an MGE.

Keywords

mass gatheringmass gathering medicinemajor planned eventlegislationguidelinesmedical response
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 18 , 2024 , e50
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Statista. Music events – Canada. 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022. https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/eservices/event-tickets/music-events/canada Google Scholar
CIMA. Festivals and conference (domestic). 2022. Accessed March 8, 2022. https://cimamusic.ca/events/other/festivals-and-conferences Google Scholar
Statista. Sport events – Canada. 2022. Accessed March 8, 2022. https://fr.statista.com/outlook/dmo/eservices/event-tickets/sport-events/canada Google Scholar
Arbon, P. Mass-gathering medicine: a review of the evidence and future directions for research. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2007;22(2):131-135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turris, SA, Lund, A. Mortality at music festivals: academic and grey literature for case finding. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(1):58-63.Google Scholar
Campion, EW, Morrissey, S, Malina, D, et al. After the mass shooting in Las Vegas - finding common ground on gun control. N Engl J Med. 2017;377(17):1679-1680.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alhadhira, A, Molloy, MS, Casasola, M, et al. Use of dimensional analysis in the X-, Y-, and Z-axis to predict occurrence of injury in human stampede. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2020;14(2):248-255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glick, J, Rixe, J, Spurkeland, N, et al. Medical and disaster preparedness of US marathons. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(4):344-350.Google Scholar
Ranse, J, Beckwith, D, Khan, A, et al. Novel respiratory viruses in the context of mass-gathering events: a systematic review to inform event planning from a health perspective. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(5):599-610.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milsten, AM, Seaman, KG, Liu, P, et al. Variables influencing medical usage rates, injury patterns, and levels of care for mass gatherings. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2003;18(4):334-346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowe, BH, McRae, A, Rosychuk, RJ. Temporal trends in emergency department volumes and crowding metrics in a western Canadian province: a population-based, administrative data study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2020;20(1):356. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Almalki, Y, Hart, A, Issa, F, et al. The Holy Month of Ramadan: mass-gathering event implications for hospital surge capacity planning in Saudi Arabia. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(4):393-398.Google Scholar
Pearce, S, Marchand, T, Shannon, T, et al. Emergency department crowding: an overview of reviews describing measures causes, and harms. Intern Emerg Med. 2023;18(4):1137-1158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Affleck, AP, Parks, P, Drummond, A, et al. Emergency department overcrowding and access block. CJEM. 2013;15(6):359-380.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turris, S, Rabb, H, Munn, MB, et al. Measuring the masses: the current state of mass-gathering medical case reporting (paper 1). Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(2):202-210.Google Scholar
Guy, A, Prager, R, Turris, S, et al. Improving data quality in mass-gatherings health research. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(3):329-332.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lund, A, Turris, SA, Bowles, R, et al. Mass-gathering health research foundational theory: part 1 - population models for mass gatherings. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(6):648-654.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ranse, J, Hutton, A. Minimum data set for mass-gathering health research and evaluation: a discussion paper. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(6):543-550.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ranse, J, Hutton, A, Turris, SA, et al. Enhancing the minimum data set for mass-gathering research and evaluation: an integrative literature review. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(3):280-289.Google Scholar
Turris, S, Rabb, H, Chasmar, E, et al. Measuring the masses: a proposed template for post-event medical reporting (paper 4). Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(2):218-226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lund, A, Turris, S, Rabb, H, et al. Measuring the masses: mass-gathering medical case reporting, conceptual modeling - The DREAM Model (paper 5). Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(2):227-233.Google Scholar
Jaslow, D, Drake, M, Lewis, J. Characteristics of state legislation governing medical care at mass gatherings. Prehosp Emerg Care. 1999;3(4):316-320.Google Scholar
Manitoba Go. Manitoba Laws Internet. 2022. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/index.php Google Scholar
Tourism Saskatchewan Canada. Organizing special events. 2023. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://stec.skillbuilder.co/catalog/organizing-special-eventsGoogle Scholar
Justice, M. n.d.. C.C.S.M. c. P210. Accessed March 18, 2024. =https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/ccsm/p210.php?lang=en Google Scholar
The Saskatchewan Public Health Act. 1994. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://publications.saskatchewan.ca/#/agencies/47 Google Scholar
Public Health Act Yukon. 2002. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://laws.yukon.ca/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/2002/2002-0176/2002-0176.pdf Google Scholar
Public Health Act, Nunavut. 2016. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://www.nunavutlegislation.ca/en/consolidated-law/public-health-act-consolidation Google Scholar
Public Health and Promotion Act of St-John, Newfoundland and Labrador, P-37.3. 2018. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/statutes/p37-3.htm Google Scholar
Prince Edward Island Public Health Act. 2022. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/legislation/public-health-act Google Scholar
Nova-Scotia EMOo. Community Event Emergency Response Planning. 2014. p. 36. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://beta.novascotia.ca/government/emergency-management-office Google Scholar
BC EM. British Columbia Major Planned Events Guidelines. In: BC EM, editor. 2014. p. 54. Accessed March 18, 2024. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/public-safety-and-emergency-services/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/local-government/majorplannedeventsguidelines.pdf Google Scholar
Alberta Emergency Management Agency. Emergency response planning for community events. Government of Alberta. 2013. p. 115. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/b49f1b6a-b5fb-4bf7-a728-e4c7f54aef4d/resource/ba9bb19a-6702-40ca-bdf7-56971f42adda/download/mass-gathering-guidebook-2013.pdf Google Scholar
World Health Organization. Public health for mass gatherings: key considerations. 2015. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/public-health-for-mass-gatherings-key-considerations Google Scholar
Hutton, A, Ranse, J, Zimmerman, P-A. Rethinking mass-gathering domains for understanding patient presentations: a discussion paper. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(1):121-124.Google Scholar
Hutton, A, Munn, MB, White, S, et al. Does the presence of on-site medical services at outdoor music festivals affect attendees’ planned alcohol and recreational drug use? Prehosp Disaster Med. 2021;36(4):403-407.Google Scholar
Goldberg, SA, Maggin, J, Molloy, MS, et al. The Gillette Stadium Experience: a retrospective review of mass gathering events from 2010 to 2015. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2018;12(6):752-758.Google Scholar