Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T12:14:56.023Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Use of Medication at the Roskilde (Denmark) Music Festival 2015 – A Prospective Observational Study of 15,133 Treated Attendees

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2019

Søren Stagelund*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
Kenneth Geving Andersen
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthesiology, Bispebjerg University Hospital, København NV, Denmark
Jesper Søe
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Hvidovre University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
Michelle Roslind
Affiliation:
Pharmacist, Roskilde Dom Apotek, Roskilde, Denmark
Kim Wildgaard
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthesia and Herlev Anaesthesia Critical and Emergency Care Science Unit, Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
*
Correspondence: Søren Stagelund, MD Dept. of Emergency Medicine University Hospital of North Norway Postboks 100, NO-9038 Tromsø, Norway E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Background:

Outdoor music festivals (OMFs) attract large numbers of guests and benefit from the help of large numbers of volunteers. Studies have previously described the injury patterns at OMFs, but no studies have described the use of medication and sales from on-site pharmacies at a large OMF.

Method:

The usage of medication and prescriptions in the Medical Health Care Organization (MHCO), including sales from the on-site pharmacy, at the Roskilde (Denmark) Festival 2015 were prospectively recorded.

Results:

In excess of 130,000 attendees (guests and volunteers) participated in the Roskilde Festival 2015. The number of attendees contacting the MHCO was 15,133, of which 3,723 (25%) had a consultation with a doctor. Of all attendees evaluated by a doctor, 669 attendees received some form of medication in relation to the consultation. The MHCO administered and/or handed out a total of 6,494 units of prescription and over-the-counter medication, of which analgesics represented nearly 51%. Asthma was the condition with the highest proportion of attendees requiring pharmaceutical treatment, as 28 out of 48 (58%) received medication during the consultation. Sixty-five attendees received both medicine and a prescription. The MHCO handed out 562 prescriptions. In total, 609 prescriptions were redeemed at the on-site pharmacy. Antibiotics represented more than 78% of all redeemed prescriptions at the on-site pharmacy.

Conclusion:

The most utilized medications were analgesics and antibiotics. The data indicate a need for on-site prophylaxis using tetanus toxoid in combination with diphtheria toxoid vaccine and an on-site pharmacy. The content of the formulary at a mass-gathering event should be based on: evacuation time by ambulance/helicopter to hospitals with the level of competence needed; types of conditions to be treated on-site; level of competencies of festival medical staff; expected incidence and type of illness and injuries; and treatment of acute, life-threatening illnesses and or injuries.

Type
Original Research
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arbon, P. Planning medical coverage for mass gatherings in Australia: what we currently know. J Emerg Nurs. 2005;31(4):346350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arbon, P. Mass-gathering medicine: a review of the evidence and future directions for research. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2007;22(2):131135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ranse, J, Hutton, A. Minimum data set for mass-gathering health research and evaluation: a discussion paper. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(6):543550.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turris, SA, Lund, A. Minimum data set for mass-gatherings health research and evaluation: a response. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(2):191193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stagelund, S, Jans, O, Nielsen, K, et al. Medical care and organization at the 2012 Roskilde Music Festival: a prospective observational study. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2014;58(9):10861092.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Friedman, MS, Plocki, A, Likourezos, A, et al. A Prospective analysis of patients presenting for medical attention at a large electronic dance music festival. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(1):7882.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lund, A, Turris, S. The event chain of survival in the context of music festivals: a framework for improving outcomes at major planned events. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(4):437443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roskilde Festival web site. http://www.roskilde-festival.dk/more/press/fun-facts. Accessed May 30, 2017.Google Scholar
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/countries/denmark#keyFigures. Accessed June 1, 2017.Google Scholar
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. 2014 National Report (2013 Data) to the EMCDDA. http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/1011/att_233879_EN_NR2014%20FINAL%2C%20and%20included%20chapter%206.4%20version%2015122014.pdf. Accessed June 1, 2017.Google Scholar
Hesse, M, Tutenges, S, Schliewe, S. The use of tobacco and cannabis at an international music festival. Eur Addict Res. 2010;16(4):208212.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bledsoe, B, Songer, P, Buchanan, K, et al. Burning Man 2011: mass gathering medical care in an austere environment. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2012;16(4):469476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hutton, A, Ranse, J, Verdonk, N, et al. Understanding the characteristics of patient presentations of young people at outdoor music festivals. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(2):160166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed