International mass gathering impact on Gold Coast Hospitals’ emergency departments

The objective of this study is to describe the impact of the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Queensland, Australia on the emergency departments in the Gold Coast region. This research has two key aims, which align with two discrete but related studies:

Study 1 Aim: To describe and determine whether changes in patient, health service, and economic outcomes occur before, during and after the Commonwealth Games.
Study 2 Aim: To explore healthcare staff experience of planning, preparedness and lessons learnt from the Commonwealth Games.

Findings from this study will provide an evidence base regarding the impact of a large sporting mass gathering on public and private emergency departments, forming an invaluable resource for future Commonwealth Games planners, as well as response planning for other mass gatherings, sporting or otherwise.