The Impact of Climate Change on Respiratory Care: A Scoping Review

Fossil fuel combustion and climate change are endangering respiratory health. As these threats increase, healthcare delivery systems must adapt and build resilience. In this scoping review, we aim to assess the current landscape of respiratory care impacts from climate change, identifying priorities for future study.

We performed a scoping review of scientific and gray literature, and selected institutional websites, to understand the impacts of climate change on respiratory healthcare.

Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Lens.org, and Google Scholar were searched from database inception through 28 July 2023. The initial search yielded 1207 unique articles. Of the 67 articles identified as relevant to the impacts of climate change on respiratory care, 50 (74.6%) had been published between 2020 and 2023. The most studied climate change and severe weather exposures were extreme heat (n = 31, 46.3%), particulate matter not from wildfires (n = 22, 32.8%), and wildfires (n = 19, 28.4%). Respiratory-related hospital admissions (n = 33, 49.3%) and emergency department visits (n = 24, 35.8%) were the most common study outcomes. Few studies identified potential impacts on telehealth services, facility energy distribution, and pharmaceutical supplies.

Climate change is projected to increase respiratory-related emergency department visits and hospital admissions. Limited research is available on current and projected economic costs, infrastructure effects, and supply chain impacts. While climate change and extreme weather are increasing strain on respiratory care systems, additional work is needed to develop evidence-based strategies for climate adaptation.