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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.
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Planning and Execution of an EMS-Based Field Hospital: A Case Report[1]

Spigner MF, Hardy C, Tschautscher C, Genthe N, Morse K, Lohmeier M · 2025 · Prehosp Emerg Care

Summary

Case report of a physician + EMS-clinician field hospital at a 20,600-attendee outdoor country music concert on a working Wisconsin farm (September 2023), built to preserve scarce rural EMS resources. Over 11 hours: 51 patients treated by EMS, 36 at the field hospital — 30 of them arriving in a single 90-minute surge. 52.7% had abnormal triage vitals; leading problems were alcohol intoxication (41.6%), cardiac (16.6%), and trauma (13.9%); 19.4% pediatric. Median length of stay 26 minutes. Only 6 patients were transported (TTHR 0.3/1,000; PPR 2.55/1,000); the authors estimate at least 15 transports were AVOIDED. After-action review flagged communications and security gaps.

So what

The rural American answer to the field-hospital question: with the nearest hospitals thin on the ground, an 11-hour physician-staffed tent absorbed a 90-minute 30-patient surge and cut expected transports by ~70% — the transport-avoidance arithmetic every rural county needs when a festival lands on farmland. The surge concentration (30 of 36 patients in 90 minutes) is the operational detail: capacity planning at events is about the PEAK 90 minutes, not the average hour. Complements Martin-Gill (urban stadium physician value) and Maiandi (urban field hospital) with the rural case.

Key findings

  • 20,600-attendee rural concert: field hospital treated 36 of 51 patients
  • 30 of 36 field-hospital patients arrived in one 90-minute surge
  • Alcohol 41.6%, cardiac 16.6%, trauma 13.9%; 19.4% pediatric; median LOS 26 min
  • 6 transports actual vs >=15 estimated without the field hospital (~70% avoided)
  • PPR 2.55/1,000, TTHR 0.3/1,000; after-action flagged comms + security

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