MGMIMass Gathering Medicine

← Library

AI-DRAFTED — PHYSICIAN REVIEW IN PROGRESSThe citation for this entry was checked against Crossref and PubMed, but its summary and interpretation were drafted by an AI model from the published abstract and have not yet been individually read by a physician. Read the linked source before relying on this operationally.
Paper ✓ verified

A prospective evaluation of pediatric emergency care during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia[1]

Simon HK, Stegelman M, Button T · 1998 · Pediatric Emergency Care

Summary

Prospective cohort of 263 out-of-catchment pediatric patients (mean age 6.7 years; 23 countries, 15 primary languages; 44% uninsured) at two children's EDs and satellite urgent-care centers during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Most presented with common complaints (fever, rash, respiratory difficulty, minor trauma), but visitors were sicker than baseline: admission rates doubled at both the tertiary children's hospital (27% vs 13%) and the county children's hospital (7% vs 3%). 7.2% had unusual presentations or care difficulties — language barriers, undocumented serious chronic conditions, missing vital supplies (a spare tracheostomy tube), a medication-mislabeling overdose, and an unaccompanied leukemia patient needing transfusion. Concludes overall system impact was minor, and that travelling children with chronic illness need physician summaries, essential supplies, and knowledge of regional centers.

So what

The pediatric planning study for visitor-heavy events: the load is small but the case mix shifts toward sicker, more complex children — double the usual admission rate — because families who travel with medically complex kids arrive without records, supplies, or regional knowledge. Event-medicine translations: multilingual capability and interpreter access at pediatric points of care, pre-event liaison with regional pediatric centers, and visitor guidance telling families to carry a medical summary and spare critical equipment. Complements the on-site pediatric fraction literature (Waisman, Hostler) with the hospital-side view.

Key findings

  • 263 visiting pediatric patients; 23 countries, 15 languages, 44% uninsured
  • Admission rates doubled vs baseline (27% vs 13% tertiary; 7% vs 3% county)
  • 7.2% had unusual presentations or care failures: language, missing records, missing supplies, mislabeled meds
  • Overall pediatric system impact minor; preparedness improved regional relationships
  • Recommends travel medical summaries, essential supplies, regional-center awareness for chronically ill children

Read the paper

Domains

Pediatric & Family