Background: Many articles have reviewed medical care at mass gatherings, but few have specifically looked at care provided during football games. Some of the largest gatherings occur at various stadiums during football season.
Methods: We analyzed the medical care provided for the spectators at Williams-Brice Stadium for the University of South Carolina 1995 football season. The average attendance per game was 69,427; seven home games were played. Six physician/nurse/paramedic/paramedic teams provided medical care using prehospital equipment.
Results: Medical care was given to 526 individuals, an average of 1.08 +/- 0.37 per 1,000 spectators per game. Records of 465 persons (88%) were available for review. The most common complaints were headache (48%), trauma (16%), gastrointestinal distress (10%), and environmental (7%). Nineteen patients (4%) required transport to nearby hospitals for further evaluation.
Conclusions: These results reflect patients with medical complaints seen during one collegiate football season in South Carolina. We believe this information can be used in planning medical care needs at other mass gatherings.