TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Impact of heatwaves on use of health services (GP and Emergency department visits) [conference abstract]
JO  - International journal of epidemiology
A1  - Varghese, Blesson
A1  - Beaty, Matt
A1  - Bi, Peng
A1  - Nairn, John
SP  - dyab168.680
EP  - dyab168.680
VL  - 50
IS  - Suppl 1
N2  - IEA World Congress of Epidemiology 2021 - Scientific Program Abstract           Background      Heatwaves are associated with increases in mortality and morbidity (mostly hospitalisations). However, evidence regarding heatwave impacts on the use of frontline health-services such as general practitioner (GP) consultations and emergency department (ED) services is limited. This study quantified the impact of heatwaves on the use of GP and ED services in Adelaide.                 Methods      Data on GP services (2011-2016) from the Medicare Benefits Schedule and ED visits (2013-2018) were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Department of Health, respectively. Heatwaves were defined using Excess Heat Factor. Using time-stratified case-crossover models, we modelled heatwave-severity (low, severe/extreme) against the use of GP and ED services in the warm-season (October-March). Effect estimates are reported as relative risks (RRs).                 Results      Total GP visits decreased during low-intensity heatwaves and increased during severe/extreme heatwaves (RR 1.14; 95%CI: 1.13-1.15). The highest increases during severe/extreme heatwaves were observed for respiratory (RR 1.36; 95%CI: 1.27-1.45) and psychiatric services. While ED visits decreased overall during low-intensity and severe/extreme heatwaves, those due to heat-light disorders (RR 4.23; 95%CI: 2.98-6.00), volume depletion, and respiratory diseases increased during severe/extreme heatwaves.                 Conclusions      There were significant increases in the use of GP and specific ED services during heatwaves in Adelaide. Further research is needed to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic vulnerability factors contributing to these increases in Adelaide and other Australian cities.                 Key messages      Impacts of heatwaves extend beyond mortality to include frontline health-services (GP/EDs) that are already challenged. Evidence presented may assist policymakers for resource allocation and healthcare workforce capacity building.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0300-5771
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyab168.680
ID  - ref1
ER  -