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What Core Competency Training Skills Improve Mass Gathering Medical Staff Preparedness? An International Delphi Study for Expert Consensus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2025

Dana Mathew Open the ORCID record for Dana Mathew [Opens in a new window] ,
Attila J. Hertelendy Open the ORCID record for Attila J. Hertelendy [Opens in a new window] ,
Fadi Issa ,
Jamie Ranse Open the ORCID record for Jamie Ranse [Opens in a new window] ,
Jeffrey M. Franc Open the ORCID record for Jeffrey M. Franc [Opens in a new window] ,
Christina Ann Woodward Open the ORCID record for Christina Ann Woodward [Opens in a new window] ,
Eric D. Miller ,
Jacob Noel ,
Ryan Boasi  and
Chinonso Agubosim
...Show all authors
Dana Mathew*
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Attila J. Hertelendy
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, College of Business, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
Fadi Issa
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Jamie Ranse
Affiliation:
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Department of Emergency Medicine, Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Jeffrey M. Franc
Affiliation:
https://ror.org/0160cpw27 University of Alberta - Emergency Medicine , Edmonton, Alberta, Canada CRIMEDIM - Center for Research and Training in Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid, and Global Health, Universita’ del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
Christina Ann Woodward
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Eric D. Miller
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Jacob Noel
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Ryan Boasi
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Chinonso Agubosim
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Abeer Santarisi
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Amalia Voskanyan
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
Gregory Ciottone
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School https://ror.org/03vek6s52 , Boston, MA, USA
*
Corresponding author: Dana Mathew; Email: dana.mathew@burrell.edu
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Abstract

Objectives

Mass Gathering Medicine focuses on mitigating issues at Mass Gathering Events. Medical skills can vary substantially among staff, and the literature provides no specific guidance on staff training. This study highlights expert opinions on minimum training for medical staff to formalize preparation for a mass gathering.

Methods

This is a 3-round Delphi study. Experts were enlisted at Mass Gathering conferences, and researchers emailed participation requests through Stat59 software. Consent was obtained verbally and on Stat59 software. All responses were anonymous. Experts generated opinions. The second and third rounds used a 7-point linear ranking scale. Statements reached a consensus if the responses had a standard deviation (SD) of less than or equal to 1.0.

Results

Round 1 generated 137 open-ended statements. Seventy-three statements proceeded to round 2. 28.7% (21/73) found consensus. In round 3, 40.3% of the remaining statements reached consensus (21/52). Priority themes included venue-specific information, staff orientation to operations and capabilities, and community coordination. Mass casualty preparation and triage were also highlighted as a critical focus.

Conclusions

This expert consensus framework emphasizes core training areas, including venue-specific operations, mass casualty response, triage, and life-saving skills. The heterogeneity of Mass Gatherings makes instituting universal standards challenging. The conclusions highlight recurrent themes of priority among multiple experts.

Keywords

mass gatheringmedicineDelphi studycompetenciestraining

Information

Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e141
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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