The "Sherman effect": decreased ambulatory care volumes in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games on visits to local ambulatory healthcare facilities. DESIGN: Comparison of median visit rates by time period, obtained from retrospective review of administrative data. SETTING: The emergency department of the designated athletes' hospital, the public hospital's adult emergency department and adult walk-in clinics, and the adult and paediatric outpatient facilities of a large health maintenance organisation. PATIENTS: All 132,826 visitors to the designated facilities during the study interval. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Daily visit frequencies at each facility. Our informal observations had suggested that volumes were not as high as expected. RESULTS: In all but the athletes' designated hospital, there was a decrease in average volumes the week before the opening ceremonies, ranging from zero to 8.4% of baseline. Average daily volumes in these non-venue facilities varied from 3.2% above to 16.1% below baseline during the two weeks of the Games, but all experienced an increase in volumes the week after the closing ceremonies, ranging from 3.0% to 13.7% of baseline. CONCLUSION: Unlike the venue-related facility, community ambulatory care sites did not encounter a significant rise in volumes until after the closing ceremonies. Although confirmation from other events is needed, our data suggest that, in addition to increased preparedness for sudden volume surges, overtime staffing of local facilities during planned mass gatherings should occur not during, but immediately after, the event.