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Understanding the Characteristics of Patient Presentations of Young People at Outdoor Music Festivals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2014

Alison Hutton*
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Jamie Ranse
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Bruce ACT, Australia
Naomi Verdonk
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Shahid Ullah
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Paul Arbon
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
*
Correspondence: Alison Hutton, RN MACN, Dip App Sci (Nsg), BN, MN, Paed. Cert., PhD School of Nursing and Midwifery Flinders University GPO, Box 2100 Adelaide Sturt Road Adelaide, South Australia 5049, Australia E-mail alison.hutton@flinders.edu.au

Abstract

Outdoor music festivals are unique events given that they are, for the most part, bounded and ticketed, and alcohol is served. They frequently have a higher incidence of patient presentations when compared with similar types of mass gatherings. Often, however, single events are reported in the literature, making it difficult to generalize the findings across multiple events and limiting the understanding of the “typical” patient presentations at these mass gatherings. The aim of this paper was to understand the characteristics of young people who have presented as patients to on-site health care at outdoor music festivals in Australia, and the relative proportion and type of injury and illness presentations at these events. This research used a nonexperimental design, utilizing a retrospective review of patient report forms from outdoor music festivals. Data were collected from 26 outdoor music festivals across four States of Australia during the year 2010. Females presented at greater numbers than males, and over two-thirds presented with minor illnesses, such as headaches. Males presented with injuries, in particular lacerations to their face and their hands, and alcohol and substance use made up 15% of all presentations.

Hutton A, Ranse J, Verdonk N, Ullah S, Arbon P. Understanding the Characteristics of Patient Presentations of Young People at Outdoor Music Festivals. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(2):1-7 .

Type
Original Research
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2014 

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