Objectives: This study was to investigate the characteristics of emergency medical events and demands at the Da Jia Mazu's patrol and pilgrimage in Taiwan. Methods: A form was designed to cover the structured medical treatments used by medical teams during the annual eight-day-and-seven-night rite of Da Jia Mazu's patrol and pilgrimage. Medication details of these patients were documented from 2007-2010 and analyzed descriptively using SPSS. Demographic features, categories of injuries and illness, as well as the demands of emergency medical services were further evaluated. Results: In all, 166 patients were required medical treatment during the study period. Almost 60 percent were male (57.8%), 25.9% were aged 41-50 years, and 54.2% were triaged as level 3. Thirty patients (18.1%) were evacuated to hospitals by ambulance transfer due to the severity of their illnesses, which included one out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patient. Conclusion: The utilization of emergency medical care and ambulance transfer can be expected during this pilgrimage. Therefore, the emergency physicians and advanced life support-qualified medical personnel should be on duty at this time. Well-planned and sufficient emergency medical care systems are essential to ensure the safety for the ritual participants.
目的：本研究旨在調查2007－2010年期間的大甲媽祖繞境活動的緊急醫療救護事件及需求。方法：使用預先設計之結構化醫療處置表格，由設於繞境區內隨行救護車上之醫護人員詳細記載大甲媽祖八天七夜的徒步進香活動期間的傷病患資料，加以描述統計與分析，以瞭解傷病患緊急醫療救護的特性及需求。結果：2007－2010年研究期間，尋求緊急醫療照護之傷病患共有166人，主要為男性（57.8%），年齡在41－50歲（25.9%），急診檢傷三級患者（54.2%）。因病情需要經由救護車後送至醫院治療的傷病患有30人（18.1%），其中包含一位到院前呼吸心跳停止病患。結論：此類大型活動對於緊急醫療照護及救護車後送需求是可以預期的，雖然多數為檢傷三、四級病患，但科別疾病種類繁多，因此急診醫師及受過高級救命術訓練的醫療人員最適合支援救護。預先規劃良好與足夠之緊急醫療救護系統，才能保障參與活動群眾及工作人員的生命安全。
