The impact of extreme heat events on hospital admissions to the Royal Hobart Hospital

Watson, Kaitlyn E.; Gardiner, Kyle M.; Singleton, Judith

doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdz033

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The number of days with more frequent coercive interventions increased with a rise in temperature (positive but poor), and increased with a drop in air pressure (negative correlation). In various regions of the world, extreme heat events lead to an increase in the number of patient presentations to hospitals due to mental illness [51][52][53], but in our study, where patients were kept in closed hospital wards, the effect seemed to be much smaller, statistically bordering significance. Moreover, the short series of data (only two summer seasons) does not allow for a more precise analysis of the relationship between the number of hot days and the aggressive behavior of patients.…”

Section: Meteorological Conditions On Days With High Number Of Physical Coercion Eventscontrasting

confidence: 76%

Weather and Aggressive Behavior among Patients in Psychiatric Hospitals—An Exploratory Study

Lickiewicz

Piotrowicz

Hughes

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Background: The number of meteoropaths, or people negatively affected by weather conditions, is rising dramatically. Meteoropathy is developing rapidly due to ever poorer adaptations of people to changes in weather conditions. Strong weather stimuli may not only exacerbate symptoms in people with diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems but may also induce aggressive behavior. Researchers have shown that patients suffering from mental illnesses are most vulnerable to changes in the weather and postulate a connection between the seasons and aggressive behavior. Methods: The goal of the study was to analyze the relationship between coercive measures and weather factors. The researchers identified what meteorological conditions prevailed on days with an increased number of incidents of aggressive behavior leading to the use of physical coercion towards patients in a psychiatric hospital in Poland. In order to determine the impact of weather conditions on the frequency at which physical coercion measures were used, the hospital’s “coercion sheets” from 1 January 2015 to 31 March 2017 were analyzed. The data were correlated with meteorological data. In order to determine the relationship between the occurrence of specific weather conditions and the number of coercive interventions (N), researchers utilized Spearman’s rank correlation analysis together with two-dimensional scatter diagrams (dependency models), multiple regression, stepwise regression, frequencies, and conditional probability (%). Results: Lower barometric pressure and foehn wind increased aggressive behavior in patients that led to coercive measures. For temperature (positive correlation) and humidity (negative correlation), there was a poor but statistically significant correlation. Conclusions: Monitoring weather conditions might be useful in predicting and preventing aggression by patients who are susceptible to weather changes

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Section: Meteorological Conditions On Days With High Number Of Physical Coercion Eventscontrasting

confidence: 76%

Weather and Aggressive Behavior among Patients in Psychiatric Hospitals—An Exploratory Study

Lickiewicz

Piotrowicz

Hughes

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In recent years, multiple studies have demonstrated the effects of heatwaves on excess ambulance demand, hospital admissions and mortality in several sites across Australia 18,19 . This indicator tracks change in a measure of heatwave intensity — the excess heat factor — as it applies to human health 20,21 .…”

Section: Section 1: Climate Change Impacts Exposures and Vulnerabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The 2020 special report of the MJA–Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: lessons learnt from Australia’s “Black Summer”

Zhang

Beggs

McGushin

et al. 2020

Medical Journal of Australia

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“…Time series generalised linear models of the quasi-Poisson distribution of ED presentations19 20 and gamma distribution for ED costs21 were applied to model the relationships with temperature. The effects of temperature exposure can be related to the current day’s temperature or to exposure on previous days 22.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding current and projected emergency department presentations and associated healthcare costs in a changing thermal climate in Adelaide, South Australia

et al. 2022

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BackgroundExposure to extreme temperatures is associated with increased emergency department (ED) presentations. The resulting burden on health service costs and the potential impact of climate change is largely unknown. This study examines the temperature-EDs/cost relationships in Adelaide, South Australia and how this may be impacted by increasing temperatures.MethodsA time series analysis using a distributed lag nonlinear model was used to explore the exposure–response relationships. The net-attributable, cold-attributable and heat-attributable ED presentations for temperature-related diseases and costs were calculated for the baseline (2014–2017) and future periods (2034–2037 and 2054–2057) under three climate representative concentration pathways (RCPs).ResultsThe baseline heat-attributable ED presentations were estimated to be 3600 (95% empirical CI (eCI) 700 to 6500) with associated cost of $A4.7 million (95% eCI 1.8 to 7.5). Heat-attributable ED presentations and costs were projected to increase during 2030s and 2050s with no change in the cold-attributable burden. Under RCP8.5 and population growth, the increase in heat-attributable burden would be 1.9% (95% eCI 0.8% to 3.0%) for ED presentations and 2.5% (95% eCI 1.3% to 3.7%) for ED costs during 2030s. Under the same conditions, the heat effect is expected to increase by 3.7% (95% eCI 1.7% to 5.6%) for ED presentations and 5.0% (95% eCI 2.6% to 7.1%) for ED costs during 2050s.ConclusionsProjected climate change is likely to increase heat-attributable emergency presentations and the associated costs in Adelaide. Planning health service resources to meet these changes will be necessary as part of broader risk mitigation strategies and public health adaptation actions.

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The impact of extreme heat events on hospital admissions to the Royal Hobart Hospital

Cited by 21 publications

References 32 publications

Weather and Aggressive Behavior among Patients in Psychiatric Hospitals—An Exploratory Study

Weather and Aggressive Behavior among Patients in Psychiatric Hospitals—An Exploratory Study

The 2020 special report of the MJA–Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: lessons learnt from Australia’s “Black Summer”

Understanding current and projected emergency department presentations and associated healthcare costs in a changing thermal climate in Adelaide, South Australia

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