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Medicine in Unplanned Mass Gatherings: A Qualitative Study of Health-Care Providers’ Response and Recommendations to Beirut’s Protests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2021

Farah Yassine Open the ORCID record for Farah Yassine [Opens in a new window] ,
Samer Bou Karroum ,
Reem Amine ,
Majid Chammas ,
Hassan Dehaini ,
Habib El-Khoury ,
Andrea Haddad ,
Joanna Khalifeh ,
Maya Maaliki  and
Lilian Ghandour
Farah Yassine
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Samer Bou Karroum
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Reem Amine
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Majid Chammas
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Hassan Dehaini
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Habib El-Khoury
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Andrea Haddad
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Joanna Khalifeh
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Maya Maaliki
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
Lilian Ghandour*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
*
Corresponding author: Lilian A. Ghandour, Email: lg01@aub.edu.lb.
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Abstract

Objective:

This study aims at exploring the dynamics of health-care provision during recent unplanned public mass gatherings in Beirut, and how the health-care system adapts to mass movements in protests.

Methods:

A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 12 health-care providers who volunteered at medical tents set during protests in Beirut, Lebanon. Responses were transcribed and coded.

Results:

Three themes were noted: preparedness and logistics, encountered cases, and participants’ proposed recommendations. In terms of preparedness and logistics, participants lacked knowledge of field medicine protocols and an organizational structure. They faced difficulties in securing equipment and advertising their services. Most encountered cases were physical injuries rather than mental health problems. The participants proposed both short-term recommendations, including advice on how to boost care provided, and long-term recommendations on structuring the health-care system to be better prepared.

Conclusions:

On-site health-care provision during unplanned mass gatherings is a vital need. We recommend forming a task force of health-care workers from various fields led by the Ministry of Public Health in every respective country to plan protocols, train personnel, and secure resources beforehand.

Keywords

mass Gatheringhealth careprotestpublic healthemergency medicine
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 1532 - 1536
Copyright
© Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2021

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