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Abstract
The aim of this study was to verify the epidemiology of spectator injury and illness in the baseball stadium during the games and the role of the on-site physician in hospital referral of spectators. We retrospectively reviewed the ‘Documents of the medical aids’ from 2011 to 2012 at Jamsil stadium. We have provided medical consultation to spectators as on-site physicians since 2012. The incidence of spectator injury and illness was 0.009% (1.68 spectators/game). During the study period, a total 448 spectators visited the first aid station, of which 324 cases (72%) were injuries and 124 cases (28%) were illness. The most common cause of injury was direct foul ball attacks (58.6%). According to the location of injuries, upper extremity injuries were most common, however, severe injury cases that were immediately referred to the hospital by ambulance were more commonly facial and oral injuries (p=0.000). Severe injuries occurred more frequently in games on weekends than weekdays (p=0.000). Headache was the most common illness followed by gastrointestinal problems. Hospital referrals were more frequent in the 2012 season when we were designated on-site physicians, as compared to the 2011 season (p=0.035).
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Table 1.
Incidences of injuries and illness of the study
Table 2.
The cross table of causes and location of injuries
| Direct ball attack | Slip down | Collision | Others | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head & neck | 32 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.309 |
| Face & oral | 36 | 18 | 5 | 1 | |
| Upper extremity | 68 | 45 | 4 | 9 | |
| Lower extremity | 38 | 36 | 2 | 1 | |
| Trunk | 16 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Table 3.
Hospital referrals according to the location of injuries
Table 4.
Location and severity of injuries in Doosan Bears and LG Twins spectators
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