Pediatric emergency department census during major sporting events.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Public Health
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and World Series, are significant cultural occurrences in the United States.
• Understanding their impact on healthcare utilization, specifically pediatric emergency department (ED) visits, is important for resource allocation and public health planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of major US sporting events on pediatric emergency department (ED) census.
• To compare ED visit data during these events with control periods.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of pediatric ED census data over a 5-year period.
• Comparison of visit data during major sporting events with data from one week after the event.
• Analysis of medians in 2-hour increments around event start times.
• Subgroup analysis for games involving local teams.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in pediatric ED census was observed during most major sporting events.
• A significant increase in ED visits was noted 6 to 8 hours after the NBA Finals.
• This finding was consistent even when analyzing games involving the local team (Los Angeles Lakers).

Conclusions:

• Major US sporting events, in general, do not lead to significant changes in pediatric emergency department (ED) census.
• A specific, albeit limited, increase in ED visits may occur in the hours following the NBA Finals.