The Impact of In-Event Health Services at Europe’s Largest Electronic Dance Music Festival on Ems and Ed in the Host Community[1]
Summary
Background: Electronic dance music festivals (EDMF) can cause a significant disruption in the standard operational capacity of emergency medical services (EMS) and hospitals. We determined whether or not the presence of in-event health services (IEHS) can reduce the impact of Europe’s largest EDMF on the host community EMS and local emergency departments (EDs). Methods: We conducted a pre-post analysis of the impact of Europe’s largest EDMF in July 2019, in Boom, Belgium, on the host community EMS and local EDs. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and χ2 analysis. Results: Of 400,000 attendees, 12,451 presented to IEHS. Most patients only required in-event first aid, but 120 patients had a potentially life-threatening condition. One hundred fifty-two patients needed to be transported by IEHS to nearby hospitals, resulting in a transport-to-hospital rate of 0.38/1000 attendees. Eighteen patients remained admitted to the hospital for >24 h; one died