Planning for heat: Exploring the impact of extreme heat events on hospital emergency department admissions

Introduction Extreme heat events are increasing in frequency and duration globally and cause more deaths in Australia than any other extreme weather events. Numerous studies have demonstrated a link between extreme heat and an increased risk of illness and death. Purpose In this study, the researchers sought to identify if extreme heat events in the Tasmanian population were associated with any changes in emergency department admissions to the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH). Methods Non-identifiable emergency department data from RHH and climate data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology were obtained for the period 2003-2010. Statistical analyses were conducted using the computer statistical computer software ‘R’ with a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) package used to fit a quassi-Poisson generalised linear regression model. Results This study showed that relative risk (RR) of admission to RHH during 2003-2010 was significant over temperatures of 240C with a lag effect lasting 12 days and main effect noted one day after the extreme heat event. Conclusion This study demonstrated that extreme heat events have a significant impact on public hospital admissions. Two limitations were identified: admissions data rather than presentations data was used and further analysis could be done to compare types of admissions and presentations between heat and non-heat events. With the impacts of climate change already being felt in Australia, public health organisations in Tasmania and the rest of Australia need to implement adaptation strategies to enhance resilience to protect the public from the adverse health effects of heat events and climate change