Were attendances to accident and emergency departments in England and Australia influenced by the Rugby World Cup Final 2003?

OBJECTIVES

To determine changes in volume and timing of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances associated with the Rugby World Cup Final 2003.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of A&E attendance data from the West Midlands Surveillance Centre and the New South Wales Emergency Department Collection.

SETTING

West Midlands, England and New South Wales, Australia.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Relative risk of accident and emergency attendance during a 18-h period in 2003 compared with the same 18-h period in the years 2000-2002.

RESULTS

In the West Midlands, in the 2 h before kick-off there were 72 attendances compared with an expected 101 in 2000-2002 [relative risk (RR) 0.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.55-0.89]. For New South Wales, there were 326 attendances compared with an expected 384 (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.76-0.95). The West Midlands saw a significant increase in attendance peaking 6-8 h after the kick-off (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.10-1.46).

CONCLUSION

In the West Midlands, it appears that attendance was reduced in the hours immediately surrounding the final, but in subsequent hours attendances increased, potentially as a result of celebration of the win. In New South Wales, the final was associated with reduced attendance in the hours leading up to the final, but they quickly returned to normal. Major sporting events can influence accident and emergency workload.