Tools for optimizing healthcare resource allocation in response to climate impacts and heat action planning

Abstract

Aim An increase in average temperatures and acute heat events has been observed, which has led to an increase in hospital treatments. In the course of climate change, this may lead to a temporary overload of the healthcare system in the future. The aim of this review was to find out how digital health planning tools can be used to optimize the distribution of available resources and counteract overloads. In addition, the review sought to gather comprehensive insights to develop a corresponding tool as part of the project Medical Informatics Hub in Saxony (MiHUBx). Subjects and methods Six scientists from different disciplines were involved in the study, which was carried out as part of MiHUBx. The inclusion and exclusion criteria, based on the PICOS-scheme, guided the selection of relevant studies. The search was conducted in the Medline, IEEE and Web of Science databases and limited to the last ten years. Results We identified 21 studies published between 2013 and 2022. A connection was found between heat and use of the health system. These studies presented a conceptual framework, but none described the implementation of the instruments in standard care. However, it was shown that statistic models based on weather and health data can be suitable for predicting resource utilization and can optimize health supply. Conclusion It was shown that statistic models are suitable for predicting the use of resources to optimize healthcare provision and can therefore be developed in the project. In addition, requirements for the development of a resource allocation and planning tool were identified.