Emergency department presentations during the state of origin rugby league series: A retrospective statewide analysis

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the State of Origin rugby league series on the number of emergency department (ED) presentations in Queensland. Design and setting: Retrospective analysis of Emergency Department Information System data from 25 Queensland EDs for game days and matched control days during the annual State of Origin series from 2005 to 2012. The Queensland team won seven of the eight series in this period. Main outcome measures: Number of patients presenting to Queensland EDs on 24 game days and 80 control days. Results: Proportionally, a binomial test indicated there were significantly fewer ED presentations on game days (49 702) than on control days (172 351) (P < 0.001). On average, there were 2154 presentations per day on control days and 2071 on game days, representing a 4% reduction on game days. Conclusion: We found that the State of Origin series was associated with fewer ED presentations on game days. We believe these results have broader implications for workforce planning and resource allocation.