On-Scene Emergency Department at Aalborg carnival

Background Every year in May, the biggest carnival in Scandinavia takes place in Aalborg. 100.000 people are gathered in the streets to celebrate, and of these more than 25.000 enters the carnival compound. During the day, the streets of central Aalborg are effectively closed due to the massive number of people. Historically, Danish Red Cross volunteers have set up first aid stations and treatment facilities during the carnival, staffed with first aid trained personnel to care for injuries. They would refer more serious patients to the Emergency Department, Aalborg Hospital (EDAH). We describe our experience with an On-Scene Emergency Department (OED) staffed with senior doctors and nurses during the 2010 and 2011 Aalborg Carnival in terms of injury types, level of treatment, reducing patient load on the EDAH, and economics.