Context. - Mass gatherings like the 1996 Olympic Games require medical services for large populations assembled under unusual circumstances.

Objective

- To examine delivery of medical services and to provide data for planning future events.

Deslgn. - Observational cohort study, with review of medical records at Olympics medical facilities.

Setting

- One large multipurpose clinic and 128 medical aid stations operating at Olympics-sponsored sites in the vicinity of Atlanta, Ga.

Participants

- A total of 10 715 patients, including 1804 athletes, 890 officials, 480 Olympic dignitaries, 3280 volunteers, 3482 spectators, and 779 others who received medical care from a physician at an Olympic medical station.

Main Outcome Measures

- Number of injuries and cases of heat-related illness among participant categories, medical use rates among participants with official Games credentials, and use rates per 10 000 persons attending athletic competitions.

Results

- Injuries, accounting for 35% of all medical visits, were more common among athletes (51.9% of their visits, P<. 001) than among other groups.

Injuries accounted for 31.4% of all other groups combined.

Spectators and volunteers accounted for most (88.9%, P<. 001) of the 1059 visits for heat-related illness.

The rates for number of medical encounters treated by a physician were highest for athletes (16.2 per 100 persons, P<. 001) and lowest for volunteers (2.0 per 100).

Overall physician treatment rate was 4. (...)