Proposing a Minimum Data Set for Mass Gathering Health

Abstract

Introduction:

There is currently no standardized approach to collecting mass gathering health data, which makes comparisons across or between events challenging. From 2013 onward, an international team of researchers from Australia and Canada collaborated to develop a Minimum Data Set (MDS) for Mass Gathering Health (MGH).

Aim:

The process of developing the MDS has been reported on previously at the 2015 and 2017 World Congresses on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, and this presentation will present a final MDS on MGH.

Methods:

This study drew from literature, including the 2015 Public Health for Mass Gatherings key considerations, previous event/patient registry development, expert input, and the results of the team’s work. The authors developed an MDS framework with the aim to create an online MGH data repository. The framework was populated with an initial list of data elements using a modified Delphi technique.

Results:

The MDS includes the 41 data elements in the following domains: community characteristics, event characteristics, venue characteristics, crowd characteristics, event safety considerations, public health considerations, and health services. Also included are definitions and preliminary metadata.

Discussion:

The development of an MGH-MDS can grow the science underpinning this emerging field. Future input from the international community is essential to ensure that the proposed MDS is fit-for-purpose, i.e., systematic, comprehensive, and rigorous, while remaining fluid and relevant for various users and contexts.