Impact of Climate Change on Medical Emergency Incidents and Responses

Abstract

Climate change has and will create new patterns of emergency incidents and burden the existing patterns. These patterns will be created by the predicted changes in meteorological and hydrological disasters, particularly extreme events. At the most direct level, extreme events are more likely to cause death and injury, and it is possible to predict what changes in the incidence of various health outcomes would occur. An example of prediction methodology is using the change in the incidence of heat-related health outcomes as a function of the magnitude and timing of climate change. Heat and/or sudden changes in temperature levels are more complex to predict the effect, yet the increased variance of greater frequency and intensity of high-temperature events will cause a higher incidence of acute events such as myocardial infarction and chronic events with rapid decompensation such as decompensated heart failure. Temperature change can also amplify the severity of many of today's most common disasters. An example of this is the predicted increase in flash floods due to the increased incidence of heavy rainfalls and convective rainstorms, which are often associated with a rapid rise in local precipitation and can cause catastrophic damage to life and society. Wildfire is another health-damaging event that is certainly set to increase in incidence, being very dependent on temperature and soil moisture. This event is predicting the change in the global distribution of wildfires and possible health outcomes. Yet, it is widely known that the effects in many MEDCs will burden the resources of local health services without having to consider global impacts. An example of this is wildfires in Southern France. It is known to cause mass respiratory casualties, yet the lack of studies means it is unclear as to the exact consequences and proper allocation of prehospital care.

Climate change is increasingly recognized as an important aspect of human health because the health of communities is affected by physical, chemical, and biological changes. These changes impact systems, communities, and individuals differently. The impacts are distributed in geographical areas that are already burdened by disease and poor health. This study attempts to understand a range of impacts of climate change on medical emergency incidents and responses in terms of epidemiology, changes in the location and frequency of various emergencies, and the consequences of prehospital care. Paris and the remainder of France are used as case studies due to the presence of detailed databases and the range of climate seen in this one country.