EVENT AND MEDICAL OVERVIEW
A UAB Incident Command Center was created on site at UAB Hospital that served all venues and volunteer staff as an emergency escalation point for communications and resource needs . The Incident Command Center was staffed from 6 am to 11 pm daily , with on-call services available after hours . More on the Incident Command Center operations is explained in the command center section .
There are many lessons to be learned from coordinating an event of this magnitude . This includes identifying seamless communication strategies for on-site care , treatment follow-up , and for the medical teams when compiling aggregate data / information – particularly if there are multiple groups / institutions involved and if daily reports are needed . Communication is also needed among emergency personnel , with local hospital systems , with the local Organizing Committee , with the International World Games Association ( IWGA ) Medical Commission , and with the International Federations ( IF ) for each sport .
Each morning , the day started with a medical meeting , in which the Birmingham Organizing Committee , chief medical officers , and the IWGA met to discuss medical events from the day prior . Also discussed were COVID-19 numbers and protocols , the weather forecast for the coming day , anti-doping precautions , and other pertinent medical information . Special attention was paid to the heat index , given July temperatures in Birmingham . Ice baths , shade , misting fans , hydration stations , and the overall availability of ice was critical to keeping athletes and spectators cool in the summer heat . Certain events , like archery , were held in environments with little air flow , to optimize competition . This can impact the ability to stay cool . Similarly , it is important to work with individual International Federations ( ideally , prior to the Games ) to understand their needs as some events require additional on-site medical care , such as weigh-ins for some martial arts events and hydration stations for endurance events .
Overall , we hope that this TWG Playbook offers insight on how to better prepare for these Games . The Games were extremely fun to watch , and we felt that the athletes / spectators received outstanding medical care . Much of this was due to pre-competition planning , as well as streamlined communication before , during , and after the events . We hope that you enjoy the next Games and wish you the best of luck in your planning .
Irfan M . Asif , MD Associate Dean for Primary Care and Rural Health Chair , Department of Family and Community Medicine UAB Medicine
Joy Hammond , RN , MSHA Senior Director , Strategic Service Lines UAB Medicine
The World Games Playbook : Event and Medical Overview 5