Evaluating the influential factors in mass gathering casualty presentation characteristics – World Youth Day, Sydney, Australia, 2008

We currently have an understanding of the factors that influence ‘patient presentation rates’ and ‘transport to hospital’ rates from mass gathering events. To date these factors have been used in models to predict workload for those providing clinical care in the pre-hospital mass gathering environment. One factor that has not been explored in great detail, however is understood to have some influence on the ‘patient presentation rates’ and ‘transport to hospital’ rates, is whether the population attending the mass gathering is ‘bounded’ (or within a given fenced perimeter) or ‘unbounded’ (not fenced within a given perimeter). World Youth Day provided a unique opportunity to explore this factor in more detail as a similar population (pilgrims) attended events which were both bounded and unbounded.

Ranse J, Arbon P. Evaluating the influential factors in mass gathering casualty presentation characteristics – World Youth Day, Sydney, Australia, 2008; paper presented at the 7th International Conference for Emergency Nurses, Gold Coast, Australia, 8th October 2009.

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The pre-hospital role of nurses during the Victorian Bushfires

This presentation illustrated the preliminary findings from a research project that explored the role of nurses who assisted in the response and/or recovery during the 2009 Victorian Bushfires. Whilst the focus was on the role of nurses during this event, this research highlighted other interesting findings, such as; nurses often trained for disaster using mock scenarios such as, aviation accidents or CBR incidents, however, in the Australian context they are more likely to participant in a bushfire or flood event.

Ranse J, Aimers B, Lenson S. The pre-hospital role of nurses during the Victorian Bushfires; paper presented at the 7th International Conference for Emergency Nurses, Gold Coast, Australia, 8th October 2009.

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