Travel medicine and infectious disease
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Travel Med Infect Dis · Nov 2005
Wilderness event medicine: planning for mass gatherings in remote areas.
An increasing number of large recreational events are taking place in remote environments where medical care is far away. Such events include adventure races and large outdoor trips. Wilderness event medicine (WEM) has been previously defined as the healthcare response at any discrete event with more than 200 persons located more than 1h from hospital treatment. However, there is little literature describing the steps for providing medical care at such events. ⋯ WEM will likely continue to grow and evolve as a specialty. Additional reports from wilderness events, perhaps facilitated through a web-based incident reporting system, will allow medical providers to improve the quality of care given at remote events. Research into wilderness activity physiology will also be useful in understanding the prevention and treatment of injuries and illnesses encountered.