MONDAY, Oct. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The perception of risk related to climate change among emergency medical societies differs according to geographical position, and few have implemented assessment and preparedness measures for climate change threats, according to a study published online Oct. 13 in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine to coincide with the European Emergency Medicine Congress, held from Oct. 13 to 16 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Roberta Petrino, M.D., from Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale in Lugano, Switzerland, and colleagues examined the awareness, preparedness, and mitigation plans for climate change threats in a cross-sectional study targeting emergency medical societies in different countries. The survey included 16 closed questions relating to climate change awareness, preparedness, and risks.
Forty-two focus groups responded, representing 36 countries. The researchers found that the mean estimated impact of climate change on national health systems was 6.75, with a mode of 7, while the mean estimated impact on emergency medical systems was 6.96. Only 21.4 and 37.6 percent of respondents reported assessment and preparedness measures, respectively. The only significant difference in the analysis by income was food supply. In analysis by region, the main differences were the risks of extreme weather events, vector-borne disease, and wildfires; food and chain of supplies were the main difference in the analysis by World Risk Index. Education and integration of health services were the main mitigation actions indicated by all respondents.
“All respondents advocated educational programs and strategic plans to face challenges associated with climate change, with the conviction that emergency medicine may play an important role in addressing and mitigating potential health crises,” the authors write.
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