competition venues, with the key objective of reducing hospitalisation rates and the impact on business-as-usual for local health services and the Queensland Ambulance Service. Under the program, access to medical services will be prioritised accordingly with competing athletes receiving the highest priority care – outside of medical emergencies – to ensure that the competition schedule and athlete participation is not impacted. COMMONWEALTH GAMES VILLAGE (CGV) POLYCLINIC A multidisciplinary polyclinic will be located within the CGV to provide an extensive range of medical and healthcare services for all Village residents, including sports medicine, sports physiotherapy, massage & podiatry, radiology, optometry, dentistry, and pharmacy. Emergency medical services will be provided 24 hours a day. Historically, the polyclinic experiences the highest demand for medical services during the Games, catering for up to 80 per cent of all medical encounters. Demand for these services is growing with each Games, with 250 encounters per day recorded at the 2006 Games in Melbourne, growing to over 400 encounters per day at Glasgow 2014. Guided by the uptake of medical services in Glasgow, forecast and capacity planning anticipates over 6,000 medical encounters at GC2018, of which two-thirds will most likely be injuries. Sports and exercise physicians and emergency physicians will be on hand to respond to injuries and medical emergencies, with support provided by an onsite satellite pharmacy from the local health service. Within the polyclinic itself, Sports Massage Services are anticipated to be in high demand, with a predicted 2,000 encounters planned for. There will be also approximately 700 radiology and imaging investigations – some of which will be carried out by x-ray and ultrasound at the polyclinic, with MRI and CT services being provided off-site. Despite sports massage services being in such high demand within the polyclinic, physiotherapy is historically the most sought-after service at the Games. Essential dentistry, sports podiatry and optometry services will also be provided at the Village Polyclinic to ensure that athletes have ready access to the services they need to be able to compete at their optimum level. TRAINING AND COMPETITION VENUES Medical and healthcare services at training and competition venues will range from first aid through to emergency response, and will be delivered on the Field of Play, in the Athlete Medical Facility or through the first response service. A multi-disciplinary team of volunteer medical and healthcare professionals will be based on the Field of Play to provide immediate medical response for illness and injury sustained in the course of competition. The Field of Play team will be staffed according to the risk level of the sport, the number of participating athletes and International Federation requirements and will differ from event to event. All competition venues, and many training venues, will also have an Athlete Medical Facility onsite. These facilities will be located back of house, and staffed by sports physicians, emergency doctors, sports physiotherapists, sports massage therapists and nurses. Athletes, team officials and technical officials will be able to seek medical treatment within these facilities. CARING FOR SPECTATORS A first response model of care focuses on optimising spectator experience and maximising safety. This will be achieved through a three-tier team structure, which will see teams of experienced Advance First Aiders supported by the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) and a Medical Response Team of doctors. Low acuity patients will be managed on venue and discharged back to the event, or referred to other allied health services. The front of house team will be adequately skilled and equipped to provide suturing where required, with a recommended GP follow up for further treatment. For high acuity patients, the Medical Response Team will provide advanced management in collaboration with the QAS. This will result in patients being assessed and treated earlier and the appropriate triage and transport of patient to the right facility for timely treatment. In terms of legacy for the Gold Coast, it is already clear that improved collaboration, integration and cooperation between the local medical and healthcare delivery sectors will leave nothing but a positive legacy. pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 25
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Ten
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