Observed Benefits to On-site Medical Services during an Annual 5-day Electronic Dance Music Event with Harm Reduction Services

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Abstract
Background: With increasing attendance and media attention, large-scale electronic dance music events (EDMEs) are a subset of mass gatherings that have a unique risk profile for attendees and promoters. Shambhala Music Festival (Canada) is a multi-day event in a rural setting with a recognized history of providing harm reduction (HR) services alongside medical care.Study/Objective: This manuscript describes the medical response at a multi-day electronic music festival where on-site HR interventions and dedicated medical care are delivered as parallel public health measures.Methods: This study was a descriptive case report. Medical encounters and event-related data were documented prospectively using an established event registry database.Results: In 2014, Shambhala Music Festival had 67,120 cumulative attendees over a 7-day period, with a peak daily attendance of 15,380 people. There were 1,393 patient encounters and the patient presentation rate (PPR) was 20.8 per one thousand. The majority of these (90.9%) were for non-urgent complaints. The ambulance transfer rate (ATR) was 0.194 per one thousand and 0.93% of patient encounters were transferred by ambulance. No patients required intubation and there were no fatalities.Harm reduction services included mobile outreach teams, distribution of educational materials, pill checking facilities, a dedicated women’s space, and a “Sanctuary” area that provided non-medical peer support for overwhelmed guests. More than 10,000 encounters were recorded by mobile and booth-based preventive and educational services, and 2,786 pills were checked on-site with a seven percent discard rate.Conclusion: Dedicated medical and HR services represent two complementary public health strategies to minimize risk at a multi-day electronic music festival. The specific extent to which HR strategies reduce the need for medical care is not well understood. Incorporation of HR practices when planning on-site medical care has the potential to inform patient management, reduce presentation rates and acuity, and decrease utilization and cost for local, community-based health services. Munn MB , Lund A , Golby R , Turris SA . Observed benefits to on-site medical services during an annual 5-day electronic dance music event with harm reduction services. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(2):228–234.

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