Abstract
Heatwaves have been identified as a threat to human health, with this impact projected to rise in a warming climate. Gaps in local knowledge can potentially undermine appropriate policy and preparedness actions. Using a case-crossover methodology, we examined the impact of heatwave events on hospital emergency department (ED) presentations in the two most populous regions of Tasmania, Australia, from 2008–2016. Using conditional logistic regression, we analyzed the relationship between ED presentations and severe/extreme heatwaves for the whole population, specific demographics including age, gender and socio-economic advantage, and diagnostic conditions that are known to be impacted in high temperatures. ED presentations increased by 5% (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01–1.09) across the whole population, by 13% (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.24) for children 15 years and under, and by 19% (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.04–1.36) for children 5 years and under. A less precise association in the same direction was found for those over 65 years. For diagnostic subgroups, non-significant increases in ED presentations were observed for asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation. These findings may assist ED surge capacity planning and public health preparedness and response activities for heatwave events in Tasmania, highlighting the importance of using local research to inform local practice.
Highlights
Anthropogenic climate change represents ‘an unacceptably high and potentially catastrophic risk to human health’ [1] (p. 1861)
All identified heatwave days occurred in summer (December to February), where hot days were characterized as arising from hot northerly winds and days of low humidity gave rise to dry heat conditions
emergency department (ED) presentations increased across the whole population, for children aged 15 years and under, and for children aged 5 years and under, while a less precise association in the same direction was found for those aged over 65 years
Summary
Anthropogenic climate change represents ‘an unacceptably high and potentially catastrophic risk to human health’ [1] (p. 1861). Anthropogenic climate change represents ‘an unacceptably high and potentially catastrophic risk to human health’ [1] While climate change may not necessarily impact health through the introduction of new diseases or disorders, it is likely to expand and amplify existing health issues [2], presenting to the global population as a broad spectrum of health risks [3]. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change describes global mean surface air temperature as rising over the last 100 years [4], which has led directly to an increase in frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme heat events since 1950 [5]. It is widely accepted that extreme heat, and extreme heat events, have a. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 3715; doi:10.3390/ijerph16193715 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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