Developing a Comprehensive Climate Change and Health Literature Search

Abstract

The 2012 National Climate Assessment (NCA) has begun a systematic literature review of Climate Change (CC) and Human Health to include as a technical input for Health Sector Literature Review and Bibliography. In the first phase, literature published January 2007 to May 2012 was selected following a framework which included Extreme heat and weather events, Wildfires, Air pollution, Mental health, Toxic and chemical exposures, Vector and Food and Water borne diseases, Food and water security, Costs of CC impacts, Mitigation and adaptation strategies and their co-benefits, CC communications, and Climate equity. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched; one screener identified and categorized 2,668 unique references into an Excel workbook. In 2013, to ensure compatible framing across databases, the bibliography ontology was harmonized with that of USGCCRP MATCH in 2013. The original search strategy was reviewed, revised and tested. The update included new references from the revised search and new references published May 2012-October 2013. An Endnote library was exported into DistillerSR, a web-based software tool for rscreening, data extraction, and reviewer metrics. Two independent reviewers screened 4,100 references for relevance resulting in 2,027 additional relevant papers. A second reviewer used this tool to screen original results, rejecting 85 references. Extreme Heat (702); air pollution (511); vector-borne disease (653); food and water-borne disease (596); and mental health (154) papers were found. Categorization is ongoing and additional topics will be enumerated. Using software tools to streamline the process enabled tracking and monitoring of decisions, and lends transparency and objectivity. The CC literature is broad and will continue to grow as new CC related outcomes and events are identified. The first phase of the bibliography is available at www.globalchange.gov